


Glitched Reality

by MW01



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Angst, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Mind Games, Mind Manipulation, Sam/Jack Centric, Sexual Content, Violence, Whump, established Sam/Jack - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-30
Updated: 2017-11-13
Packaged: 2018-12-08 19:42:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 32,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11653407
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MW01/pseuds/MW01
Summary: When Ba'al captures the current and past members of SG1; Jack, Teal'c and Daniel become prisoners in a mental hell. It's up to Sam, Vala and Cam to get their team back, however, with emotions running high, and loved ones seemingly lost, the rescuers find themselves fighting against not only Ba'al, but their closest friends as well! Getting everyone home safe may be easier said than done!





	1. Prologue

She looked at him the way a suffocating man looks at an oxygen tank just out of reach, desperate. With all her heart she wished the mere expression alone would be enough for him to piece it all together, but that hope had been slowly slipping through her fingers with each glance into his cold eyes. He was harder than the others had been, both in terms of personality and convincing him of the truth. This world was so deeply seeded within him that she feared his repressed self would never overcome it. She had to get through! Whatever he thought he'd been through, it wasn't real! She was real, they were real! No amount of mental manipulation could destroy that. They had survived worse!

"Please!" She begged softly, taking a tentative step towards him. He remained hauntingly calm, his fingers still firmly clasped around the gun pointed directly at her. His eyes set, hard, in the same way she recognised from the years she stood by him facing enemy after enemy. It was jarring to be the one on the other end of that glare! "You know me! Deep down you know me!"

He lowered the gun slowly and the relief that flooded her felt incredible, she'd reached the oxygen tank! Her legs catapulted her body into action, moving her forward at lightning speed but just as soon as she had moved she stopped short, noticing the unmistakable twitch in his neck. It was a clear warning to proceed with caution. she likened the experience to wandering upon a wild beast in the woods; stay quiet, be cautious, remain calm, and try not to spook!

"You have to believe me!" She whispered, pleadingly. Her fingers twitched with the need to caress him, run her hand gently down his face; Convince him with her touch.

He stared her down with a stillness that sent a shiver of unease down her spine. The moments they stood staring at each other felt like hours before finally he spoke, the words sounding hollow and unforgiving, "No...".

The unease that had hit her earlier turned to full blown terror as his eyes turned black. He'd been frightening before, with his stone cold demeanor, now however, he looked unpredictable...dark. She didn't know what to expect!

"...No I don't!"

The following seconds flew by in a horrifying blur. A piercing shot rang threw her ears, the first indication that things had gone south. His face remained set, devoid of emotion as the pain of the bullet cut threw the flesh of her upper thigh and sent her crumbling to the floor. A fierce scream tore from her lips as her hand flew to the rapidly bleeding wound. 

"Oh god!" She gasped, her body shaking in shock, tears falling freely. Blood soaked her pants and covered her hand. The pain had her gritting her teeth through a growl of utter frustration and anger! _Its not real! Push through it, its not real!_

"I don't know you!" He said menacingly, crouching down to flick her hair out of her face using the gun. The act terrified her and she flinched at the touch. Her teeth clenched, fighting the urge to bite at him verbally. He's not himself! Its not real!

"I don't know how you survived the first time," he snarled, "but lets see you try with a bullet wedged right..." He tapped her forehead three times with the gun and she flinched again, "...here!"

"Jack!" She sobbed, the pain in her leg throbbing intensely, the ache in her heart even worse. "I wont quit on you!" She whispered.

_He'll remember! He has to!_

_Its not real! its not real!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a heads up, S/J take center stage in this story but it will be very much a team bonding outing with a dash of D/V thrown in :)
> 
> Also, this is a WIP and I will attempt to update as often as possible! I have no beta so any mistakes are all my own! Future chapters will be much longer. Comments most definitely encouraged and appreciated *thumbs up*


	2. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The calm before the storm!

General Jack O'Neill paced silently from room to room picking up varying items of clothing that had been carelessly tossed during the week and ignored. A shirt, pants, a number of socks he was embarrassed to count and, surprisingly, only one pair of boxers; all finally placed in the neat laundry hamper that they wouldn't have made it to for at least another three days if it weren't for his anticipated visitor the following day...and the event they were required to attend.

A luncheon of all things! A politics party! A boring excuse for butt kissers to get their fill kissing butt...and his would be one of them. Oh sure, some boss man he'd never heard of, some friend to the President who somehow got security clearance, figured the SGC deserved all the praise in the world for its continued efforts. The idea was fine, in fact, it was a welcome reprieve from the usual bullshit he'd been dealing with from men just as smarmy as Kinsey had been. Jack was all for giving praise where it was definitely overdue...but did it have to be a luncheon? With damn dress blues! The only upside to the day would be SG1's attendance.

The unmistakable sound of someone knocking at the front door broke him from his mental whining and he glanced at his watch with a scowl noting the late hour. He'd already had a huge day and if this was Davis he had half a mind to have the man beamed into space!

To his utter surprise, and delight, it was not Davis.

"Evening, General!" She smiled and his insides melted.

"Carter!" He replied, the surprise was evident in his voice but his smile conveyed that she was most definitely welcome, "I didn't think you were getting in until morning?"

"Yeah, well..." She started as she moved confidently past him into his Washington townhouse, dropping a small duffle bag onto the floor by his staircase, "I wanted to surprise you!"

"Accomplished!" He said, closing and locking the door behind him. He took a second to actually look at her and was, not for the first time, blown away by her beauty. Her hair was longer these days and he had to admit he loved it. She looked older now as well, no longer the baby faced captain that challenged him to arm wrestle when they first met. She had aged like fine wine; Elegant and still as attractive as hell, even if all she was wearing were jeans and a plain long sleeve top.

"The others still in Colorado?" He asked casually, still standing by the door just staring at her staring at him. Her lips quirked in that half smile she wore all too often lately when they met. The one that cried mischief...the one he loved.

"No, they're staying in the hotel a couple blocks down."

"Ah!" He said simply before looking down to her bag, "packing light, Colonel?"

The smirk grew sultry as she moved closer to him and he stood up a little straighter, eager. "Yes, Sir!"

"And why is that, Colonel?" He asked on a whisper, taking a step closer at the same time. He could smell her shampoo now, the scent of coconut hit him right where it needed to to send a jolt of desire from head to toe. He stifled a groan.

"Don't plan on needing much other than for tomorrow, Sir!" She whispered back through heavy lidded eyes. They were a mere foot apart now and he ached to touch her. He couldn't though, not yet. This was the game, every time...see who could last the longest without touching. It didn't mean, however, that he could control his rasped voice or heavy breathing. Neither could she by the looks of it; his eyes flickered down to her chest and marvelled at the quickened rise and fall of her breasts.

"What will you wear for the rest of your stay, Colonel?"

She broke first, her hands resting gently on his chest before moving slowly to comb through the hair at the nape of his neck. "Nothing...Sir!"

Her body pressed flush against his and he groaned low before sliding his own hands around her waist then down to cup her rear and pull her closer. God he'd missed her.

"Its been too long, Sam!"

"Three months, four days..."

"Shut up Carter!"

His lips sought hers finally, tasting her softly at first, drowning her moan and stealing her breath as she did to him. Her arms hugged him impossibly closer whilst her fingers raked through his hair lovingly. He loved it when she did that, the feel of her delicate fingers scratching his scalp sent shivers of electrical arousal through his entire body! he was a starved man finally getting his much needed nourishment.

They moulded together perfectly, the kiss quickly turning needy and desperate. He was reminded suddenly of their first kiss, albeit under alien influence, but a kiss nonetheless. He hadn't wanted her like that then. Oh, he'd wanted her, but not like that. He'd wanted her like this, sane and under no duress...and with no consequence! Oh, how far they had come in 10 years he thought blissfully.

"Jack," She rasped quietly as they broke apart for air, "lets take this to the bedroom!"

He squeezed her ass in answer before nodding with a smile. She was perfect, face flushed and smiling like an idiot in love. He probably looked the same, because he certainly felt that way too!

"Get your six up those stairs, Colonel!" He mock ordered, intent on keeping their little bedroom game of ranks going for a little while longer. It hadn't really surprised either of them to find, after 8 years of a relationship being hindered by the very rules associated with those ranks, that it was a massive turn on...not that he was alway dominant, no, Sam had proven she could definitely pull out all the stops in bed. He shivered with anticipation.

"Yes, Sir!" She replied lowly through a half hearted salute before she turned and started slowly ascending his staircase. He watched her ass sway with an appreciative glare. Only a couple of years ago he would have been required to avert his gaze but not anymore. Now, not only could he stare, he could follow.

Thank god he'd finished picking up all the clothes from the bedroom he briefly thought before hurrying up the staircase after her.  
 

***

Daniel rubbed at his eyes beneath his glasses on a sigh! He was tired, growing grumpier by the second and on top of that he was going to be spending the day keep Vala on her best behaviour at the unnecessary function they were roped into attending. If it wasn't for the fact that Jack had personally asked them to come, more for his own sake presumably, he definitely wouldn't be going! He had way too much work to get through and studying the artifacts SG3 had just uncovered on their recent mission seemed a whole lot more appealing than appeasing a bunch of politics...and dealing with Vala's persistence!

"You know, you may as well just admit this is what we both know it is!"

Daniel rolled his eyes, "Vala, for the last time, this is _not_ a date!"

"Oh please, Daniel, it would be a whole lot easier if you just admitted how you feel!"

"Its not a date!" He hissed. Catching the raised octave in his voice he took a moment to calm his rising anger before continuing, "its a...team...thing!"

She huffed dramatically before marching off down the hotel corridor, "Sam called it a date!"

"She was talking about her and Jack!"

"Well how come they're on a 'date' if its a 'team' thing?"

Daniel fixed her with his best deadpanned expression as they arrived at Teal'c's room, not for the first time mentally asking the powers that be what he had done to deserve Vala Mal Doran. The woman was infuriating. Sexy as sin too which made it even worse. They had been arguing about the topic of whether they would be calling the outing a 'date' since their arrival in DC last night and Daniel was one more 'Vala whine' away from losing it!

With a knock on the door, she spun on her heels to stare at the him expectantly, "Well?"

Just as a swift retort was about to leave him, The door opened wide to reveal his large Jaffa friend.

"Daniel Jackson, Vala Mal Doran, please come in." Teal'c greeted with his customary bow, "I believe Colonel Mitchell will be joining us momentarily."

"Excellent, in the meantime you can help Daniel answer my question!" Vala beamed as she hopped into the room ignoring Teal'c's raised eyebrow. Daniel rolled his eyes for what was surely the 100th time that day alone. Damn you Jack, he thought. I could have been locked away in my office blissfully alone!

"Vala thinks that we'll be on a date because Sam called it a date with Jack!" Daniel explained as he walked into the room.

"Daniel's calling it a 'team' thing!" Vala injected, air quoting for added dramatism.

"Do you not believe Colonel Carter and General O'Neill will be able to utilise this event to enjoy there bond even through their professional discreetness?"

"What?" Daniel exclaimed, scowling as Vala beamed.

"I believe that the fact that this is undoubtedly a group activity it does not make the opportunity for those in said group to deepen their bond any less so! Do people of the Tauri not court each other in group environments often?"

"Hah!" Vala yelled in triumph whilst Daniel stared open mouth at his close friend. _Yes, thank you for backing me up here Teal'c!_

"No! That's...Different!" Daniel defended, more than slightly pissed that Teal'c wasn't on his side, before looking at Vala, "It's NOT a date!"

"But it could be!" She grinned.

"This is true Vala Mal Doran, however, it is also my understanding that both members of a couple require consent before declaring a romantic outing? As has been stated, Daniel Jackson does not appear to consent!" Teal'c injected stoically.

"Finally!" Daniel muttered, "There, ya see!" He loudly pointed to Vala before side eying his friend.

"Fine!" Vala huffed, the giddy excitement she wore moments ago now complete gone. Daniel couldn't help the smile.

A knock came at the door followed by the muffled voice of Cam. Teal'c politely bowed out of the conversation to greet the Colonel but not before Daniel caught the Jaffas unmistakable smirk. He'd been riling him up on purpose! Jack would be proud.

Moments later Cam came bounding into the room, decked out in his military blues, his medals adorning the jacket.

"Hey kids!" He greeted, way too eager compared to Daniels mood but he admired the young man for keeping a positive attitude! "Any idea when Sam's gonna get here with the General?"

Good question, Daniel thought as he looked at his watch, "Uhh, actually they should be here by now!"

"Give em a few minutes then! Might be stuck in traffic!" Cam shrugged. A silly statement, Daniel thought, since they were only a short walking distance away!

"Or maybe they're doing it like bunnies!" Vala smirked. Teal'c mearly raised an eyebrow as Cam grimaced, a feeling Daniel shared. Sure, their relationship was fantastic, and he was extremely happy that they had found happiness together even if the details were still restricted to only a few, many of whom were currently within the room, but that didn't mean he wanted to actually picture the affection so to speak. They were like his siblings...family!

The minutes ticked on with no word from either Sam nor Jack and he had to admit he was getting impatient even though his friends seemed happy to talk animatedly about their lack of excitement for the days event. When his watch indicated they'd been waiting for half an hour he knew for sure Vala was right and he scowled before pulling out his phone.

In a way he was sort of jealous! Sam and Jack were obviously making up for lost time intimately and here he'd been, arguing with a woman he actually found rather attractive about whether or not THEY would be on a date! Any other red blooded male would jump at the chance to reciprocate the affection and downright sultry persistence Vala showed him...but the simple fact remained, what would happen after? Would it be a one time thing for her? Did she really want him or was she just bored? Was it the chase she craved and would then abandon once she had him? He wasn't sure, and the fact he didn't know the exact answers infuriated him because he did want more, secretly painfully so. He'd give her everything in a heartbeat but to what end? With his heartache over Sha're still a recovering wound, even after all these years, he didn't think he could cope with a fling with someone he felt this strongly about only for her to turn from him and to someone else! It would be like cutting open that fresh wound and pouring salt deep inside...and he couldn't risk that!

Shaking his thoughts, Daniel set about finding Jacks number and dialing. Vala winked at him from her perched position on Teal'cs bed and he sighed in frustration. He wished she'd stop because it was driving him mad!  
...

Jack fiddled needlessly at his various embellishments. The numerous accomplishments marked on his uniform were starting to weigh. It came with saving Earths ass countless times though, he mused. Didn't make wearing the damn thing any less uncomfortable.

He moved swiftly from the bedroom, tugging at his tie as he went. The clock on the wall by the door told him enough to know they were well overdue to pick up the rest of the gang and he was sure Sam would be ready any moment. He found her in the ensuit and had to bite back a groan at how amazing she made wearing an official uniform look! Thank god they hadn't had sex when she was his second in command! There was no way he could have kept himself in check on official outings with her looking so damn hot and knowing what was underneath! It would be a miracle to be able to do it today!

He loved when he got to see her like this, doing her hair, applying makeup, not that she needed it but it was heartwarming to say that he knew and saw all of Sam Carter! He saw the soldier, the leader, the scientist and the woman...and what a woman! For years he'd loved her in secret, put up a wall to keep his feelings in check. SG1, being the frontline team, came with a responsibility to put their own desires aside for the good of the planet, the galaxy even, and there was no way he was risking the most valuable asset to the Stargate Program being transferred or court martialed  because they cared about each other too much. When, and at the time he'd felt it more like an 'if', they were given the legal opportunity to explore their feelings, they would do it but ONLY then! He thanked his lucky stars that fortunately, that opportunity came!

He remembered it all so well. The conversation that had finally started it all!

"So I uh...heard..." She'd began one day soon after the unfortunate death of her father, "About Washington!"

His reassignment hadn't come as a surprise, he knew the moment they'd beat the replicators that the job offers would come rolling in. The threat wasn't as large anymore. Teal'c had already planned to join his fellow Jaffa in Dakara with Bra'tac and Daniel had been one more request away from heading to Atlantis. As for him, Landry had already accepted his position leaving Jack to get his affairs in order before officially taking over from Hammond in Washington. He'd heard along the grapevine that R&D had wanted Sam  and he would have been surprised if she turned such an offer down when it came! It would certainly allow her to focus on another aspect of her job that she loved, fiddling with her doohickeys.

"Yeah, well, I don't officially take over for a while yet!" He had finally replied, "Gotta clear out the desk and all! Technically once General Landry's sworn in I'm on downtime!" She gave a curt nod but he noticed a pain in her eyes. He'd thought perhaps she was just saddened to discover he too was leaving.

In truth he'd wanted to retire. Kerry's words had stayed with him since their amicable breakup however the main reason for that wish was standing before him and, still to his knowledge, very much engaged. She hadn't uttered a word about the wedding since Jacobs death and he'd assumed the reason being was her grief. Without meaning to his eyes had drifted to her tags expecting to see the glimmering diamond where she normally homed it but surprisingly he found nothing! His eyes had flickered back to hers, a sudden spark of hope ignited within him as he noted her fiddling hands and unsure features. She was nervous. He'd remember her next, rushed, words forever.

 

"I broke up with Pete!"

It was the catalyst, what pushed them into action. He remembered sitting in shocked silence long enough for her to think the worst and make a hasty dash for the door. That's when he'd snapped out of it, realising the implications of everything that had just been said. No longer engaged, no longer attached...no longer would they be under the same chain of command. In a second he'd mentally unlocked the door to that damned room and allowed every longing emotion he had for her shine through in one pointed look accompanied by a question he hoped she'd never decline again; "You wanna go fishing?". She'd smiled and accepted on a whisper and, as a send off to the greatness that was the original SG1, it was planned as one final team get together at his cabin.

It had felt surreal sitting on the dock finally fishing with her and having company that enjoyed the act as much as he did. There was a remark about his fish-less pond before she cast her line again only for a fish to prove him wrong. There was a sigh of content and an infectious giggle as they sipped beers during a sunset. There was banter and a shiver as the cool night air hit her skin on the way out the back door. There was a rough declaration of "I want you!" that he'd been wanting to say the moment her transfer papers had been processed and a kiss that must have hurt her back when they'd crashed into the side of the cabin. He remembered it all vividly and fondly.

Being with her now was just as amazing. Her face still flushed as it did that night, her body still instinctively fell into his each kiss as well. The want was still there! Two years hadn't quenched the thirst at all.

He marveled at the way she moved, bustling around the bathroom rushing to get ready. They were late, her fault entirely...for being so damn irresistible in the morning! He honestly didn't care though. When faced with the prospect of standing around with a bunch of politicians, he'd choose to be late because of morning sex with Samantha Carter every time.

The dress blues he abhorred clung to him too tightly in the most annoying places, his neck, arms...even his ass felt stiff! Sam, however, made them look sinful, especially coupled with that 'barely there' eyeliner and those golden bangs. His eyes drifted over her appreciatively before falling back on her face...which was now smirking at him.

"Getting your fill?" She teased.

"Never enough!" He replied honestly, because he really could never get enough of her.

"I'll be done in a second." She said on a smile before returning her attention to her reflection in the mirror.

"Take all the time you need! I don't mind the view!"

She snorted in jest and his heart burst with affection. God, he loved her! Their time apart was always hell but their time together more than made up for it. It wasn't just the sex, which was pretty darn good though, it was also the domesticity of them. The banter, the home cooked meals, the falling asleep together on the couch, even working together when the necessity arose. It was perfect.

A thought occurred to him like being hit by a brick to the head, why the hell hadn't he married this women yet? She seemed to notice the shift in his expression because her hand stilled holding a mascara wand to her eye.

"What's wrong?" She asked, curiously more than concerned.

"You ever think about the future?" He asked after a long moment.

She smiled and went back to her task with the mascara, "Of course!"

"And?"

"And what?"

"And...what do you think about?"

"I think about you!" She smiled, "Why?"

"Nothing I just...not that long ago you seemed to want the normal life. Husband, house with the white picket fence...I distinctly remember a conversation about kids too!"

She screwed the cap on the mascara in finality and turned to face him, a smile tugging at her lips, "I don't ever recall saying I wanted all that! In fact that 'kids' conversation was more like me trying to make excuses to not get married to Pete!"

He gave her that, he'd been the one arguing the positives...stupidly. "Yet you accepted...ergo, you wanted some kind of normalcy in life!"

"I accepted that proposal after two weeks of hesitation! Now you on the other hand, Jack, you I'd say yes to in a heartbeat!"

The unease that had settled in his gut lifted instantly at her words but he remained silent as she continued, "As for wanting normalcy, there's no such thing as normalcy for us, Jack! Not with what we do! Do I want kids? I'm not adverse to the idea but I'm not exactly planning for it either! Do I want the house with the picket fence? Not particularly, as long as I'm happy with the one I love, thats my home! And as for my future, as long as your still in it and were together, married or not, I'm happy!"

She closed the distance between them, kissing him soundly before sliding past him in the doorway. Without hesitating he turned, grabbing hold of her arm gently to halt her. The expression she pinned him with when she turned was one of curiosity and intrigue; he couldn't help the words that fell from his lips next, "Would you really say yes if I asked?"

"Why?" She laughed, probably thinking he'd lost his mind with all the questions, "Are you asking?"

"Yeah!"

Her eyes went wide and her mouth opened in shock. The corner of her lips twitched into a smirk as she started towards him but the shrill ring of his phone interrupted the moment.

"Damn it! Probably Daniel!" He muttered, digging into his pocket for the cursed device. It was Daniel! "Better get this, I'll tell him were on our way! Finish this later?"

"Absolutely!" She said seriously before caressing his cheek lovingly.

The "What?" he yelled at Daniel when he answered was far to soft considering the conversation that had been interrupted but hard enough to convey the annoyance...whether the reason for the call was justified or not.

So what if they were late!  
...

Cam hated schmoozers...Because that was exactly what they were dealing with! A bunch of politicians wining and dining the elite Stargate team and that included all members past and present, minus Jonas Quinn unfortunately. Sure, it wasn't just them, many SGC personnel were in attendance, among them were Dr Lam, Walter and even Siler, all likely feeling just as unimpressed by the whole event as he was. It felt like they were props, here under the assumption that they were getting valued recognition and more funding assistance but strip back all the crap and it was just a way for the wannabe 'big wigs' to get there names circulated, network for political allies, prove they were worth the security clearance. At least the food wasn't bad.

"You think we'll have to stay much longer?" He asked aloud, to no one in particular but yet hopeful someone's answer would be 'no'.

"General O'Neill doesn't think so!"

Oh thank god! Cam smiled, "You know you don't have to keep calling him General around us right!"

Sam smiled slyly before nodding to a group of Air Force officials currently hounding her former CO, "Around them I do, you know that!"

"Yeah, it just sounds...weird! Especially considering how late you guys made us this morning...and the obvious reason for that!" Cam winked as she rolled her eyes through a megawatt smile. Jack was truly one lucky man. As if his ears were burning, the General looked in their direction and he winked cheekily at Sam before returning his attention to those begging for it. Cam grinned at the blush that rose on Sams cheeks. She looked so happy.

"I told you, we slept through the alarm!"

"Oh please!" Cam laughed heartily, "Since when do you ever sleep in? You don't even use an alarm!"

She answered by smirking before huffing at their surroundings, "I have to admit, I am glad we had a bit of extra time together this morning! We havent had a moment together this whole time!"

"Yeah, must be tough. How long was it this time?"

"Three months!"

Cam whistled his incredulousness. He had to hand it to them both! Long distance relationships were tough but even more so when they were required to be as discreet as these two were made to be! Forget being late, how they made it out of bed this morning was incredible. He knew what he would have preferred. Without thinking his gaze settled on Caroline before he mentally kicked himself. _Do NOT go there man_ , he chided himself, _the Generals daughter is strictly no go!_

"It's alright though, we make up for it!" Sam continued, flashing him another wide smile and it took Cams brain a minute to catch on after his self berating thoughts.

"Yeah, see, knowing that is one thing. Its obvious! But hearing you imply it is just...No!"

She laughed before checking the time. "I think it's time to round everyone up! If we leave soon it will give us time to get ready for dinner tonight!"

"Couldn't agree more! You handle the General and Teal'c and I'll grab Daniel and Vala!"

Sam went to reply when they were interrupted by an over excited politician, his suit crisp and evidently expensive but his face told Cam they wouldn't be leaving just yet! "Colonel Mitchell, Colonel Carter, I've been wanting to catch you both together all day!"

_Schmoozer!_ Cam thought before plastering his face with the best fake smile he could summon. "Well, you caught us!"

...

"In position" crackled the voice of his team leader through their secure channel.

"Make sure you get them all! This needs to be executed precisely!"

"Understood!"

Ba'al sat back staring at the device before him and smiled at his work! He didn't really need to do this but what a waste of such interesting technology if he didn't. Besides, SG1 had proven resilient to say the least, if he couldn't break their bodies, what about their minds! He'd spent months modifying the machines for this purpose and it was finally going to happen. He may be a clone but this would be one feat the others hadn't come close to accomplishing!

Continuing to stare at the device he waited patiently for the confirmation from his team. It took several long minutes before the comms sparked to life once more.

"Confirming all targets secure!"

_Excellent!_


	3. Chapter Two

Vala drifted in and out if sleep in a daze. Struggling through the fog in her mind, she exhaled long and low as her head pounded like nothing she'd felt in a long time. Her eyes fluttered open only to be met with a blurred and distorted vision of the dark room that she was sure wasn't the fancy function room she last remembered sipping champagne in. In a vain attempt to find some clue as to what was going on, she squeezed her eyes shut tight before opening them to squint at whatever was in front of her...it didn't work but she did note a slow improvement. It was just going to take time. Frustrated at her lack of proper eyesight, she focused her other senses to evaluate her predicament. 

The first thing she noticed was that she was vertical and leaning, slumped to be accurate, against a molded surface. The curvature of the back rest fit her body snuggly and oddly comfortably but considering she was there against her will, she chose to ignore that irritating fact. Flexing her arms and legs, she sighed with relief when she noted no restraints.  _Just a little bit stupid_ , she thought with an internal smile, _just makes things easier for me!_

She squeezed every bit of information she had from her memories prior to waking up but all she could recall was the handsome face of Daniel at the luncheon. The 'non-date'. They definitely wouldn't have gotten that drunk afterwards! She would have woken up in Daniels bed for sure otherwise!  _Oh, god! Daniel!_

  
She blinked a few more times, glad her vision had now improved considerably, before preparing herself to leave the unwanted comfort of the 'chair' in search for her companion when she heard the unmistakable sound of two muffled male voices close to her. She sunk back into the chair, limp, immediately.

"Subject 3 is online!"

"We need to hurry this along! The boss is already in and the sedatives are going to start warring off this lot soon and we don't have any more."

"We could always Zat them? I've been itching to try one of these things!"

"No! It'll zonk them out too much and interfere with the scan!"

"Well, on to subject number 4 then!"

Vala's heart raced as she heard their footsteps grow close. Scan? Online? What the hell is going on? Calming herself, she kept her eyes closed and regulated her breathing to lay in wait. If she was next they were in for a nasty surprise!

The smell of aftershave hit her before she felt one of the men's breath rush across her face. This was her chance. Without a seconds hesitation, she catapulted her head forward impacting her captor square in the nose sending him crumbling to the floor. Her forehead ached from the force of the maneuver but she recovered quickly to find the other man now fumbling for a weapon, his Zat. Without giving the apparent scientist any chance to act, Vala launched at him with heavy legs and a closed fist. He went down in seconds, both bodies lying limp in a pile on the floor.

Collapsing with exhaustion and aching all over, she took a moment to catch her breath. Her eyesight was now restored much to her relief and she used the long awaited opportunity to examine her surroundings thoroughly. Her stomach turned when she noted that the molded chair she had awoken in resembled one of the virtual reality training pods she had seen at the SGC, however, this one seemed stripped, bare; No fancy head set with wires. Suddenly the words scan and online started to register...no wonder her gut was throwing the word 'DANGER' at her in big neon lights. Glancing next to her pod, a few meters away on each side were two more pods each containing Teal'c and Cam respectively. She caught the minuscule twitch of Cams nose and pushed herself up to get to him first.

"Mitchell!" She croaked, her throat rough and in desperate need of a large gulp of water. He didn't move so she grasped a handful of his shirt noting for the first time their attire, all black and definitely not what they had been dressed in at the party. Some one had copped a feel dressing her, she just knew it. "Hey," she shook him gently, "Wake up!"

He groaned, a good sign, before his eyes began to open, "Vala?"

"Oh thank god!" she exhaled in relief. 

He coughed several times, clearly finding the same vocal discomfort as she had, "What the...what's going on? I cant see anything!"

"I have no idea! And it will get better in a minute"

"Why do I feel like I've just woken from an all night bender?" he groaned, rubbing his face.

"They drugged us."

"They?"

"Those two I assume," she nodded to the two bodies which lay unconscious on the floor, "But I bet there will be more!"

"Right!" Cam croaked as he stepped forward, stretching his muscles. He rubbed at his eyes, blinking furiously before they apparently focused and smiled at her, "There you are! Uh..." He looked her up and down, "So drugged, kidnapped and...clothed?" he cocked his head curiously.

"Yes!" She replied simply, far too outraged at the situation to bother with her customary flippant remarks.

He looked to his left and she followed his gaze to the next pod eyeing Sam still sleeping.

"We need to wake everyone up. Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum over there spoke about having subjects online and I have an eerie feeling that these are similar to those training pod thingies back at the SGC!"

Cam grimaced, looking at his own pod and clearly agreeing with her assessment before he smirked at her as they shuffled over to Sam's pod, "Been reading Alice in Wonderland?"

"No, but I rather liked the cartoon on TV!"

 ***

Cam watched Sam closely as she examined Teal'c and the chair he was hooked into. At first glance the large Jaffa appeared fine, still unconscious yet no different to the state he'd just witnessed Sam awaken in. Upon closer inspection however, there were differences; One large one to be exact. Thin, translucent wires had been connected to several varying locations on the big guys head that fed back into the chair and if Cam had to take a guess, he'd assume that those locations weren't random at all, rather, they were quite accurately connected to specific parts of the brain for whatever purpose the machine served. He didn't need to have an above average IQ to know that wasn't good.

He eyed Sam as she studied the pod. She looked just as haggard as he felt with her long hair falling loosely and annoyingly all over her face. Her fingers swatted the shimmery strands up and away from her face irritably as her eyes worked over the tech before her. He could practically hear the wheels turning in her brilliant brain and the hard set of her features proved she was deep in thought. He may not have known her for as long as the others but he definitely knew that look on her face. She was worried.

"Sam?" he ventured, finally.

"We can't wake him! Daniel or Jack either for that matter!" she stated matter of factly, her eyes never meeting his but instead looking back to the two pods containing their aforementioned team mates. Cam couldn't help the gruff curse that escaped him.

Vala moved behind him, her feet taking her to rest at the foot of Daniel's pod. She looked even more worried than Sam but he chalked that up to the Colonels military façade protecting her emotions like a safety blanket. He was glad for that. It was undoubtedly hard for her but he needed her here, in the moment, working to help them get out of this mess.

"Why not?" Vala asked, her tone indicating she thought the idea of leaving them in their current state completely ridiculous.

"You said one of those men said the subjects were online. I think they've hooked them up to a virtual simulation. This looks very similar to the chairs the Volsinni used on P7J-989 and the training pods the SGC adapted the technology for, only this looks much simpler though I doubt its function is anything but!"

"So turn it off!" Vala injected as if the solution was that simple. Unfortunately, Cam couldn't play dumb on this one. He'd read all the mission reports and knew all the details on those chairs. Unplugging them would be a very bad idea.

"We cant!" He replied, looking at Sam in frustrated understanding, "There's no way to know if forcibly removing or disconnecting them will cause any brain damage."

"If these are anything like the pods we've encountered and used before, they likely have a shut off command built into the program!" Sam explained.

"Basically, the user controls there own exit!" He finished.

Vala pressed on, clearly searching for a loophole in the explanation, "Yes but surely whoever's behind all this would be the one controlling it, right? Would seem a bit silly to allow your prisoners the power to wake themselves up!"

"That's a possibility, yes!" Sam conceded, "But the thing is, I've never seen this particular design before. I'm not even sure if it is a virtual world they're plugged into. For all we know, they could be extracting information. And if they are in a simulation, they may not even know it. Either way, I'm not risking their lives until I know more!" Sam's final words came out as a chill warning rather than statement of fact and Cam had to admit, he would be reluctant to argue or press the issue were he to be of a different mind on the matter. By the look that now settled over Vala's face, she clearly thought the same.

 "Fine!" Vala pouted, "So what do we do?"

"Well," Sam looked at all three pods, her eyes lingering on General O'Neill longer than the others, "Unfortunately I don't think we can move them. The pods seem to have interconnecting wires, well, at least I think they do. I wont know for sure until I can crack the casing open. The good news is that judging from the lack of cavalry charging in here to check up on everyone, I don't think they expect us to be awake much less up for a fight! It's possible we may not encounter much resistance!"

"Small operation?" Vala asked, seriously.

"I'd guess so. No one we've encountered on Earth has been this...scarce!"  


Cam sprung to action at that, keen to get the ball rolling on their escape. "So, Plan A. Take this place, contact the SGC for backup and supplies then get these guys out of here! Plan B, get out, contact the SGC and come back and take the place by force!" he said decisively and was met with a nod from the two women before him.

"If we're going to fight our way out, one of us should stay here with the boys!" Vala suggested, "Plus, there's only two Zats at the moment!"

"Good idea!" Sam agreed, "I'll stay behind, see if I can figure something out!"

She looked forlornly towards Jack again and Cam almost hated what he was about to do but the simple fact was, Sam was an exceptional marksman and kicked way more ass in hand to hand combat than anyone else he knew. Besides, he could see the welt on Vala's head growing darker from her run in with the unsuspecting men still unconscious on the floor and he doubted she was as 100% as Sam was right now. "Scratch that! Vala, you stay. I need that military brain and those skills of yours Sam, simple as that!"

She sighed, her eyes flashing with annoyance that Cam chose to ignore, before giving a curt nod in agreement . "Right," he started as he picked up both the Zat guns and handed one to his fellow Colonel, "Lets go!"

***

Sam moved stealthily through dark corridors a mere meter behind Cam. They walked swiftly, feet making little to no sound in their barefoot state, Zats at the ready for the first sign of hostiles. They hadn't ventured far from the Pod room thus far and the lack of any type of security so far had Sam concerned. Was it a trap? Just as suddenly as the thought materialized in her head, Cams hand shot up in a fist and the next second, she heard what had caused his caution. Voices. Many voices. Boisterous and laughing...relaxing! _Not for long,_ she thought.

They followed the sound to a door slightly ajar. Cam peaked in quickly before withdrawing and holding up five fingers followed by another two. Seven. Seven was fine, they had taken more with less in their careers. She held up her Zat and wiggled it slightly in question and was surprised when Cam shook his head. No weapons...or no weapons ready. Either way, the difficulty just went from moderate to insanely easy.

Cam held his hand up again and slowly counted to three with his fingers. Once he hit three they sprung to action. Cam kicked the door open fully and started firing his Zat at everyone in sight. Sam followed suit and hit every target she could see still awake. One shot each, that's all that was needed, no need to take lives. Didn't mean she didn't smile internally when the last one went down with a thump.

"Son of a bitch!" Cam breathed as he pushed one of the men into a roll and suddenly Sam understood his statement. It was the man from the luncheon. The last person she remembered talking to before she found herself being shaken awake in the pod.

"Well, that's who got us!" she said simply, spinning around and moving to the door where she aimed her weapon as look out as Cam went about patting down the men in search for anything useful.

"Bingo!" Cam exclaimed, holding up a phone and large packet of zip ties. She couldn't help the smile of relief.

"Service?"

"No, but it could just be our location, wherever that is!"

"Right, anything else?"

"Here..." he spoke gruffly as he heaved a body off another before holding up a communicator. "Is this...a Goa'uld communicator?"

"Great!" she said sarcastically with a nod. Ba'al...she'd bet her life. _Just great!_ Every time they thought they were rid of that snake, one of his clones popped back up. She imagined the expletives Jack would have let loose at the discovery...would have. Willing herself to stay in the moment, she shook the thought of her lover from her head before it laid the seeds of grief and overwhelming worry. She was no use to him in that state...and he'd likely have a few choice words for her if he awoke to find her that way too.

Cam didn't reply to her remark, seemingly agreeing with her attitude on the matter. Swiftly he went about tying the hands and legs of the men with the zip ties, effectively neutralizing their threat level should they awaken.

"Alright, lets move along, find a way out, get a call out to the SGC." he said once done. She didn't need to reply as they moved out of the room and locked it for good measure. Cam took point again as they continued on down the corridor. Each door they came across was checked carefully, each corner was approached with extreme caution. Along the way they had effectively taken down another three unsuspecting men, these ones armed. It wasn't until they rounded a final corner that Sam caught sight of a figure exiting from a doorway at the end of the dim lit corridor and then felt the temperature drop and a gust of wind hit her face, her hair whipping around her lightly. She blew a few loose strands out of her face and cursed these bastards for not at least allowing her to keep her hair tied.

"Did you feel that!" she whispered.

"Yeah, fresh air?"

"Smells like it!"

They didn't say any more as they reached the end of the corridor and stealthily opened the door slowly. The wind hit her face again and she noted the temperature was colder than she thought. Freezing cold...perfect temperature for snow. They were going to need to be quick considering their attire; she cursed their captors again.

Cam moved into the open area first and once inside, or more accurately, outside, Sam found she was right to be thinking of snow. They were in an open, semi empty hanger, which housed a small shipping container as well as several opened and empty wooden crates. The hanger overlooked snowy, rocky mountains and judging by the carved out solid rock surrounding them, they were also in a mountain. That explained the lack of phone service. They each moved behind separate crates for cover, each large enough that Sam guessed they had held the Pods.

Cam spoke first after surveying his side, "I can see another five armed guards over here!" he pointed to his left.

"I've got two at the far right entrance!" Sam countered.

"Alright, I'll go after these guys first. It will draw your two and anyone else. Once they come over, you take them out."

She gave a curt nod in agreement and crouched down out of clear sight, weapon at the ready. Cam moved fast, his body moving on instinct as he began firing at the men in his path. He'd taken down three before the last two ducked for cover and began firing their own weapons in retaliation. Cam dodged them expertly and carried on his attack. He had been right in that it had drawn the attention of the two she had spotted and as she lay in wait, they came closer, their own weapons raised but not firing yet. She happily caught them by surprise as they came into her firing range. Shooting up from her hidden position, she took them down with 2 perfect charges, however, it was when she lowered her weapon that things started to head south. Out of seemingly nowhere, she felt a strong arm encase her throat tightly and yank her backwards, the maneuver knocking the wind from her lungs. _Crap, where did he come from?_

Her training kicked into overdrive. Rather than panicking as any attacker may assume, the chokehold only served to piss her off more than their current situation already did. With a fleeting thought to the sparring sessions she had spent improving her skills from both Teal'c and Jack, and sparing a curse towards the ass who had put her family in danger, she used as much strength as she could muster and pulled her head forward to quickly swing it back into her attackers face. He stumbled, his grip loosening enough for her to spin around and connect her fist into his nose with an audible crack. His eyes rolled slightly but he refused to go down. shaking the dizziness away, he advanced on her once again. With a furious scowl, she drew her leg up and extended it directly into his groin. That took him down with a shriek where she proceeded to fist his shirt and connect her bloodying fist with his face repeatedly. The military guise she had been hiding behind since they had left Vala started to disappear as she drove her frustration into the limp man in her clutches. One punch for Teal'c, one for Daniel, one for Jack...another for Jack...and another.

A hand gripped her arm and spun her where she instinctively swung in defense only to see Cam duck just in time. "Woah! Sam! Calm down!" he yelled, clearly concerned, "I think you got him!"

She looked down, shaking from rage, at the unconscious figure she'd just beaten the crap out of and grimaced at the blood all over his face and her hand. She'd gone too far and that revelation shook her.

"Are you alright?" Cam asked softly.

"Yeah, I will be!" she replied hoarsely, more than a little unnerved by how far she'd gone. A few more punches and she would have killed him!

"I've got signal," Cam stated, and she was thankful he chose to drop any further conversation on the incident. "I'm going to contact the SGC!"

"Okay, I'll keep look out incase we've missed anyone!"

"Probably best to stick to the Zat this time though, right?" he smirked and she knew his comment was meant in jest but her chest tightened at the thought she may lose it on someone else. No, she wouldn't. Time to rebuild that military wall and get on with the job at hand.

"Right!"

***

Vala sat, completely bored, at the foot of Daniels pod looking up at him blankly. Her head hurt and a small prickling area at the base of her neck had started to rear its head in pain, she guessed it had been the spot an oversized tranquilizer needle had been jabbed into her before they had been transported to...wherever this was.

It had been some time since Sam and Mitchell had left. She couldn't hear Zat fire like she had shortly after they had started their mission but the fact that no big baddies were rushing in to check on their prisoners had her hopeful of their success. She just wished she knew what was going on out there.

Her time alone, or, awake alone in the room, had not been spent idly though. Almost immediately she had went about snooping around and was quite pleased with her findings, Sam was likely to be even more so. The Scientists, still lay lifeless on the floor, had obviously been in the process of attaching all 6 of them to the machines and therefore had been using quite a lot of handy equipment. Several monitors, hidden in a dark corner of the room, displayed what she deduced as vitals of those already hooked up whilst one of the men had been cradling a laptop in his hand when she had attacked. She was glad he had began to stir soon after Sam and Mitchells departure as the swift kick to his head that she had dealt allowed her to catch a glimpse of the device under his heavy chest. Upon further investigation, she then found several tools and cables that she hoped Sam could use to interface with the pods. Now, she was just waiting.

Daniel's breath came evenly as she stared at him. He seemed so at peace and she wondered, curiously, if he slept just as peacefully in his own bed...a bed she was concerned she hadn't seen yet. He was by far the hardest man to impress. She'd pulled out all the stops with him. Flirting, lying, teasing...honesty! Sure, those weren't the best ways of getting a man, considering honesty wasn't always the best policy in her case...hence why lying had done her good in the past, but what else was there? What did she have to do? Cry at his feet and beg for a chance? That wasn't her scene, nor did she think it would work either. She just hoped Sam could figure this out because as soon as he was awake, she was going to try the last thing she could think of...talking to him about it. Did he really feel nothing?

Footsteps broke her from her thoughts and she stood quickly, moving her body next to Daniels pod to block herself from the view of anyone who wasn't Colonel Carter or Mitchell.

"Vala?" Sam called quietly and she relaxed instantly.

"Hi!" she said, stepping into view. Looking them over quickly, she was slightly taken aback by the blood smeared across Sam's knuckles. Someone had been given quite a beating, she guessed! Noting her tired eyes though, Vala decided to file her curiosity away for later and instead chose to ask the next pressing question, "Luck?"

"Oh, Yeah!" Cam said with a wide grin as he held up a cell phone and wiggled it in the air for emphasis, "Landry's sending help!"

The relief that flooded her was insane. Now she just had to show Sam her findings and they could get to work on rescuing their boys! Things were definitely looking up.

***

Ba'al smiled at the data displayed before him. Yes, he had been more than displeased at the incompetence of the men employed to get the job done, and he had punished others in his anger, however, the bright side remained...he had three of them...and if he had to pick only three, it would have been them. By the time their team figured out what was happening, the damage would be done and as far as he was concerned, he had already won.

With a smirk, he turned from his monitor, exceedingly happy with the newly input coding and gazed appreciatively at his pod.

"Lets have some fun!"


	4. Chapter 3

Sam felt terrible; tired, hungry and completely worn down. Her knuckles ached causing her to squint in pain each time she accidentally raked them over the hard surface of the pods. Large welts of rich red and deep purple had appeared, a constant reminder of her brief lapse of control, and her throat felt tight, constricted, from the chokehold she'd been locked in earlier. Adding to her pain, her body also seemed to still be recovering from whatever drugs she'd been subjected to in the effort to capture them all. It hadn't hit her until they had returned to the pod room, when she'd let out the long breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.

The only two positives that had occurred in the past 12 hours had been successfully contacting the SGC and Vala's discovery of necessary equipment Sam could use to get to work on the pods before their proper supplies arrived courtesy of a very relieved General Landry. Too bad they didn't have any ships in the area...an Asgard beam would have been handy right about now...and not just for the equipment; her stomach grumbled.

Deftly, her fingers grasped tool after tool and typed key after key on the unfamiliar laptop hoping, by some miracle, that this time she found something. She had rejoiced at a minor break through when she figured out how to summon one of the pods programming codes but making sense of the text was proving harder and harder as her body protested her task. She was currently half way through Jacks pod, mentally willing whatever higher powers that watched over her that she would find something!

Pausing for a moment to shake away the tiredness, she caught herself staring at the hard lines of Jacks face. He was so handsome, sleep ridding him of those frown lines she knew so well, the same ones she'd been tracing so lovingly in DC only days ago. Her eyes fell on the wires that ran from his temple into the chair and she scowled before refocusing her attention on the small control panel that lay open before her.

Footsteps alerted her to company, and her ears pricked at the sound of Cam clearing his throat, "You need to rest!"

She ignored him as he ventured slowly into the room. He was right, Jack would be furious if he knew she'd been working on the pods non stop without so much as a lunch break let alone sleep but she was furious, driven by stubborn rage to save her friends...too save him. She'd left his pod until last, not emotionally ready to see him so lifeless; not ready to remember his eyes staring back at her from that frozen pod in Antarctica. She didn't have the right back then to be as grief stricken as she had been, not while she was with Pete, but it was completely different now. Now that they openly held a piece of the other.

"Sam?"

"What?" She barked, her voice icier than Cam deserved.

"You _need_ to rest!" he pressed gently, "General Landry says Dr Lam will be here with a team to help as soon as possible."

She heard his sigh when it became evident she was content to continue ignoring him but caught his pointed look at Jack from the corner of her eye, "He wouldn't want you fiddling with that without a clear head!

She sighed, "I'm fine!"

"No," he said softly, "You're not!"

She looked at him finally and her resolve started to crumble. "Look, I know you think I'm emotionally compromised here but I'm the only one familiar enough with this tech to figure this out. With Bill at Midway, I just...I need to keep working!" She hated to admit it, but Dr Lee was far more experienced with the virtual tech than she was and for maybe the first time, she actually missed the bumbling scientist. He did have his moments.

"We're all worried Sam! We're all a little compromised! We all want to help...but if anyones gonna figure this out, it's you...and you need to be on your A game for this!"

She scowled again but nodded in agreement.

"Come on," he continued, "Get at least an hours sleep! Landry and Dr Lam are gonna order you to anyway!"

She sighed in defeat and looked at Jack once more. Please be okay! She begged. I'll figure this out, I promise. His face remained unmoving under her scrutiny and it broke her heart to see him, Teal'c and Daniel too for that matter, like this. Memories of him sleeping peacefully next to her flooded her mind and, not for the first time, she imagined nudging him as she always would with a soft 'Hey!' then smiling as his eyes fluttered open. She knew that wouldn't work here though, she'd actually tried hours ago on a whim. It was a silly thing to expect to work, but she'd tried it anyway because Jack was an impossible man. He'd survived so much and surprised her enough times that she actually thought something simple would fix this. But it didn't and now she was leaving him to rest.

_I'll figure this out, I promise!_

 ...

Vala stared, honestly bored, at Sam working hard on General O'Neills pod. Cam sat on the bench next to her, silently watching the genius at work as well; his fingers ran over the marked lines of his Zat gun, the only proof that he was just as worried about their friends as she was; the tell tale tick of an anxious man. It had been a few hours since Sam had awoken from her much needed rest with a startling amount of renewed energy. The hope and excitement that had hit Vala at that discovery had been the best feeling so far.

Since their arrival shortly before Sams awakening, SGC personnel buzzed around the room; scientists and medics all with their noses buried in their respective tasks. All ensuring they kept out of Sam's way. The only exception being Dr Lam who monitored the vitals of their sleeping friends. Vala didn't want to know what all the beeping meant, she just wanted their boys safe.

Daniel rested in his pod next to her and she ached to touch him, run her fingers through his hair, touch his skin...but she resisted. Something about the way he seemed so lifeless made touching him seem wrong. Seeing Sam continuously resist touching O'Neill also gave her the courage to reign in her impulses as well. It must be hard for her, not sure what to do, feeling helpless without immediate answers. Well, not as helpless as Vala felt presently. No, if anyone was going to fix this, it was Samantha Carter. The woman was unstoppable.

"Yes! I've got you, you son of a bitch!" Sam yelled triumphantly gaining hopeful stares and gasps from almost everyone in the room. Vala couldn't hide the smirk at the uncharacteristic curse. That's when you know Samantha Carter is past the point of caring what her superiors think. Vala practically ran to Sams side, followed closely by Mitchell.

"Please tell me you've figured it out!" Cam begged. His voice giving life to the anxiety ripping apart Valas insides.

"Well, kind of...we need to talk to General Landry, now!"

...

"So Ba'al's behind this?" Hank clarified, receiving a confirmed nod from Colonel Carter on the view screen in front of him. To his right he noted the unmistakable eye roll of Sergeant Harriman at the mention of the infamous Goa'ulds name. Static from the video feed drew his attention back to the three members of SG1 visibly shivering in the chilly mountaintop air. Unfortunately, the dense rock surrounding the hidden facility meant the only way for communication to take place was from an area outside where the signal wasn't strong but was the best they could do. He'd instructed members of the backup team that had been sent to set up the video comms link as soon as possible and was relieved when the first transmission from Colonel Mitchell had come through. It had been mere hours since then and now he was hoping, with all thee present this time, that he was about to get some good news. He wanted them all home!

"I believe so Sir, yes!" Carter replied, "One of his clones!"

"Sam's believes they're trapped in a virtual world." Vala injected from her position to the right.

"From the programming data I've uncovered from all three pods, it's clear a simulation is running. Some of the coding is Goa'uld, though jumbled and hard to interpret. I assume that's no accident, though. Other parts appear to be in ancient also. It's taken me a while to figure out the data but I'm confident that they're trapped in a virtual world crafted by Ba'al!"

"Alright, you know what my next question's going to be, Colonel!" Hank replied gruffly, not liking the way the conversation was heading.

"We can't unplug them, Sir! Doing so could cause severe neural damage. In every experience we've had with this technology, the users have to actively choose to leave themselves...or complete the simulation!"

"So why don't they?"

"They likely don't know they're in a simulation!" Colonel Mitchell explained, voice raised over a gust of loud howling wind, "Its also therefore a possibility that Ba'als mucked with their minds in some way, Sir"

Hank sighed. Sometimes he hated the downside of this job. The stargate program was a constant danger. Whether it be an off world incident, an imminent threat of invasion, an alien virus or, in this case, a home world threat with valued team members lives at risk. The dangers those involved with the Stargate face was mind boggling.

"I'm assuming you've got some good news with all this, Colonel?" He addressed Carter and was relived to see her eyes spark.

"Actually sir, I do have an idea!" She began, "As far as I can tell, each pod is running a simulation specific to each individual chair BUT also interconnected. My guess is General O'Neill, Daniel and Teal'c are playing out their own narrative all within the same world where they can interact. The three chairs each of us," she gestured to herself, Mitchell and Vala, "were supposed to be plugged into have also been coded meaning one of us could go in, get our guys and leave!"

Hank just stared. He knew exactly where this was going. Any second now, all three were going to voice their eagerness to participate. "No!" He began but his voice was drowned by all three declaring their voluntary involvement.

"Are you all _mad_!" He asked incredulously, "What makes you think you won't get just as stuck as the others?"

"We have to try something!" Vala retorted passionately. He admired her spirit.

"I'm confident I can hack the programming, give us an out and perhaps even an advantage!" Sam countered.

"And I'm 100% confident that she can do that!" Mitchell added for good measure before smiling at Sam reassuringly.

"I'm not letting all three of you go in!" Hank argued, his confidence in Colonel Carter aside, it was way too big of a risk!

"Well, then let Vala and I go, Sir!" Mitchell requested, his eyes darting to Sam's suddenly enraged face now staring him down. "What?" He challenged her, "We need you monitoring us!"

"I've monitored enough, I'm not sitting around waiting for all 5 of you to wake up!" Sam countered before turning her attention back to the screen, "Sir, requesting permission to go ahead!"

"You shouldn't!" Cam growled followed quickly by a harsh "I don't care!" from Sam.

" _CHILDREN_!" Hank bellowed over the argument, "Might I remind you all who actually has the final say here!"

Both Colonels had the good grace to look ashamed but the tension was thick. Something told him all three were determined to go in no matter what he said...or ordered.

"Sir, I need to go in!" Sam pleaded and he had to admit, those big blues cut straight to his heart but emotions couldn't get in the way of command decisions. He had to have hard facts.

"If, and I stress _IF_ , Colonel, you can hack this simulation..I'll consider it!"

"Thank you, Sir!" she sighed with relief.

With no further information to convey, they each bid there customary farewells before Hank urged Carter to stay online for a moment longer.

"Sir?" She asked when Cam and Vala had disbursed. With a pointed look at Walter, the young Sergeant moved from his station as well leaving the General to continue his conversation somewhat more privately.

"I need you to assure me, Colonel, that you can put aside your personal feelings for this task!" He said on a lowered voice. "I'm sure I don't need to remind you why it is the Air Force enforces such strict rules and regulations! Given the nature of this program I'll forgo throwing the rule book at you because quite frankly, you're the smartest person I know and if anyones going to figure this out it's you...but don't think I don't know when one of my officers are compromised!"

Sam looked down, guilt adorning every feature before her shoulders squared and she faced the screen again, "I understand, Sir, however, professionally, I do believe all three of us should attempt to connect with the chairs. We don't know how deep of a psychological impact this is having! Convincing General O'Neill, Daniel and Teal'c that the virtual world they're experiencing isn't real may not be as easy as we expect. We may need each other as back up!"

Hank considered her words carefully before agreeing she made a lot of sense. At the back of his mind he also had every confidence in Caroline's judgment as Chief Medical Officer. There was no way he was giving a go ahead on this without consulting her first. "Very well, Colonel!" He said satisfied, "Figure out how to hack it and report back for further orders!"

"Yes, Sir! Carter out!"

...

"I'm still not happy about this!" Caroline grumbled as she worked quickly to attach the last of the pods thin wires to the base of Colonel Carters head. Colonel Mitchell and Vala were already trying their hardest to relax into their chairs, already attached and ready to go, given what they were about to risk. It had taken her hours, and an order to rest, before Sam had found her way in and confidently claimed they were ready before another hour spent weighing the pros and cons of the mission with General Landry who eventually gave the go ahead to the three remaining members of SG1. Caroline had, at first, been passionately against the plan, her main gripe being that she would be practically powerless, aside from perhaps the occasional adrenaline shot, in helping them if they got into trouble. As it was, she had the same concerns about the SGC's use of their modified Pods for training purposes. The human brain was not something to risk. The potential psychological fallout from it made her gut churn. It wasn't until Sam had requested that she be an active part of the 'hacking' process, regardless of her lack of skills in interpreting any of the technology Sam seemed at home with, that Caroline's faith in the Colonel began to outweigh her doubts. Samantha Carter was a driven woman, and even more so when her friends lives were at stake. Caroline being able to see what Sam was trying to do, and then eventually what she was 99% confident she had done, had gone a long way in changing her mind about the project...and therefore her recommendations to her father. Still, she couldn't help her fears, "I can't help if something happens in there!"

"I know," Sam replied quietly, her face set, determined, and staring right past the young doctor. "But I'm willing to risk it!"

The room fell silent as Caroline finished her task and within seconds Sam, too, was ready. Monitors beeped next to each pod, connected to every team member, the unconscious and conscious ones, and displayed vitals for them all. Dr Lams team had also prepared medical stations next to each monitor as well. Adrenaline, morphine, intravenous fluids and even defibrillators to name a few, were all packed neatly upon each station...Caroline's defense against dangers that may befall them mentally. Teal'c was proof that the pods could take their toll.

"Okay, so walk me through this one more time, Sam!" Cam asked. Caroline was sure he had tried hard to hide his fear but she caught the slight quiver on his sharp intake of breath. She didn't blame him. If it were her, she would be terrified.

"I've hacked part of the programming and located the coding for our avatars. When Dr Lam flicks the switch, our minds will be connected to the simulation and once in our first priority is to meet at the rendezvous point I've created."

"And where is that again?" This time is was Vala who asked, her voice slightly more confident than Cam...but not by much.

"Once you wake up, you'll know. The coordinates are built into our Avatar coding. Its where I've hidden the backdoor and, hopefully, weapons if needed."

Caroline's eyes shot to Sam, "You think you'll need them?"

"I hope not...but this is Ba'al we're dealing with!"

"Okay, so, get in. Meet up. Go from there!" Cam clarified.

"Yes, but be careful! Its probably going to seem very real which means out minds are going to start thinking it's real. If you get hurt, its going to seem like you're actually hurt. And if you die..."

"We die here, too!" Vala finished, "Go it!"

That had been what Caroline was fearing most. General Landry had questioned that fact immediately during the mission brief, recalling Teal'c's experience within the game. Unfortunately, Sam had been quick to point out the difference in simulations and safety programming, well, too a point. With regard to the SGC pod, while it had proven impossible to alter the machines to be able to forcefully remove a subject, it had been easier to simply program an 'out' and make sure they were protected from being harmed...in one go at least. Sam had told Caroline earlier that, in Teal'c's case, Daniel had put it best...death by a thousand cuts. That was not the case here, though. Death would be by one cut if it occurred.

With a nod to each, Caroline moved to Colonel Mitchells pod first and began the 'upload' just as Sam had shown her. Once done, she moved to Vala and then finally to Sam before stepping back to survey all three. "Good luck, guys!" she said, simply.

It took less than a minute for each of them to slowly drift into sleep, their eyes fluttering and closing with a lull of their heads. Caroline let out a long breath, "Well, now we wait!"

The silence that fell upon the room felt like they were being watched by the grim reaper.

***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a bit of a techy explanation chapter so sorry if it was a bit boring but I do feel its needed. We dive head first into the virtual world in the next chapter and let me just say, things get pretty wonko! 
> 
> I do really hope everyone's enjoying this so far! Big thank you to those who have left comments, kudos and bookmarked!! 
> 
> I should also say this now...this story was inspired by the 'Framework' episodes of Agents of Shield. I loved the idea of the framework storyline and if you have seen that, you will see SIMILAR elements in this story but only because it works well with these characters...and the angst/whump factor! Also, as far as I'm concerned, this story is not an AU or AR. I've tried my hardest to research this to fit in with canon and even though Sam/Jack were not confirmed onscreen, we've had enough hints to make up our own minds on that! So if anyone is interested, this is set between Ark of Truth and S4 of Atlantis.


	5. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And into the virtual void we go...

Cam came to with gasp as he felt a gush of cool wind whip at his face. Blinking rapidly, he scanned his immediate surroundings, crinkling his nose at the sniper rifle in his hand and the tactical gear covering his body. He was laying, face down, on a rocky, dirt surface and his sides ached where various branches of the thick shrub he was hiding in poked at him painfully.

It felt so real. Every sense was in overload battling with his mind which knew it was nothing but a simulation. How can it feel this real? The metal of the rifle felt cool against his palm, the leaves of the shrub tickled as they brushed his face, his ears even pricked at the sound of birds flying overhead. That's when he noticed the earpiece.  _Am I on a...mission?_

"Confirming targets locked!" Came a gruff voice through the tiny speaker in his ear, the male voice unrecognizable. _Targets?_ Cam thought before looking through the scope on his rifle. What he saw sent a shiver of panic ripping through him. _Reynolds!_ And not just Reynolds, it was his family too; wife and daughter...a picture perfect setting! All were sitting at their dinner table, smiling and laughing as any typical happy, loving family would. The question nagged his increasingly worried thoughts: Why the hell was his gun aimed at them?

"Mitchell?" Another voice barked, this one unmistakable. _General O'Neill!_ He'd know that authoritive snap anywhere. Feeling more than spooked, likening the experience to a deer in the headlights, Cam remained quite. Really, what was he going to say! Was the mission to kill the family or had he just not aimed properly yet? He hoped it was the later.

"Forget him, I've got the shot. I'm gonna take it!" Came the first voice. _Who is that?_

"You're gonna have to take Mitchell's too then, I don't have a clear shot!"

"Alright, on three. One, two..."

Cam stared through his scope horrified as two silent shots were fired taking out Reynolds and his daughter square in the head before a third took his wife. The targets were hit so quickly and cleanly that they didn't have any time to even register the window shattering as the first bullet pierced the glass. Even the pause between the first and second shot wasn't enough for Reynolds wife to acknowledge that her loved ones were quickly falling from their seats; blood running from the gaping holes in their foreheads. The whole scene made Cam physically sick and as fake as he knew this place was, the vomit that travelled up to his mouth felt anything but. Thinking quickly, he managed to dislodge the earpiece in time before the contents of his virtual stomach emptied out onto the dirt below him. "Shit!" he muttered, wiping his mouth on his sleeve before replacing the earpiece in time to hear O'Neill order retreat.

Scrambling out of his uncomfortable vantage point, Cam had to shake his conflicted senses as the outdoors threatened to overwhelm him, again. Out in the open, he was hit by the blinding rays of a harsh sun and even stronger wind; it was disorientating. It felt like a constant battle with his mind to remember that everything he saw, felt, was repulsed by moments ago, was nothing but a simulation and he was actually laying, asleep, in one of those pods under the watchful eye of Dr Lam. Even the ache in his muscles that in reality would have been caused by spending long periods of time stuck in an uncomfortable position felt prominent and undesired. He wasn't one for pampering...but a warm bath to soak his tired bones was seeming more and more appealing...but only if it was followed by copious amounts of alcohol to fade out the horror show he'd just witnessed. The sight of a bullet hole in the cranium of a young girl was not an image he was likely to forget any time soon...nor was the accompanying nausea going anywhere quickly either.

"What the hell were you doing?" O'Neill bellowed. Cam didn't have to time to defend the rough shove that followed, the force so strong that it nearly knocked him to the ground. He hadn't been expecting to come face to face with the clearly enraged General so soon. _Crap, think quick!_ He thought, _he's not going to believe anything you say about this place if he stays pissed!_

"Me?" Cam retorted quickly, "What the hell were you doing?" _Good, stick with 'deflection'!_

"Excuse me?" Jack snarled and Cam visibly flinched. The man was intimidating at the best of times but here...this was something else. He looked rough, rugged and unhinged. Like a war torn old soldier with severe PTSD who could tell you a tale or two about the horrific shit he'd seen. Jack had been through the ringer as part of the Stargate program but he had support there, in the real world! Maybe here he didn't have any! It was Ba'als program after all!

"My rifle jammed!" Cam tried, hoping his voice was as convincing as he was faking it to be, "Didn't you hear me yelling that?"

"You're rifle _jammed_?" came the voice of the man Cam didn't recognize. His eyes searched for the stranger and landed on a figure sauntering down towards them, eyebrow raised in the universal way that said _'I call bullshit!'_. The straight cut and set jaw screamed military...and familiarity; Cam had seen this man before.

"Charlie, go get the truck!" Jack ordered, his piercing glare never wavering, "We gotta get out of here!"

_Kawalsky?_ Cam suddenly clicked. _Charlie Kawalsky!_ It had to be! He'd recognized his face from the early mission files from the start of the Stargate program! _Seems dead men can be resurrected in this place!_

Charlie snorted in Cams direction, a sneer of disapproval causing an instinctual angered reaction from the tired Colonel who was quickly halted from offering his thoughts on the exchange by the slow advance of the General before him. The menacing glint in Jacks eye made Cams throat dry. Swallowing nothing, and noticing how thirsty he was in the process, he took a step back in defense just as Jack reached for his rifle to examine the weapon thoroughly.

"I don't know what happened, it just..." Cams words died in his mouth as Jack raised the rifle over his shoulder and pulled the trigger. The silencer saved his eardrums from any damage but the soft whoosh of the bullet passing inches from his skull had Cam wanting to empty his insides all over the ground again.

"Seems fine to me!" Jack said simply, though the slight cock of his head and raised eyebrow told Cam he was definitely treading on thin ice. Jack handed back the rifle slowly but took a step even closer when Cam attempted to take hold, "Next time you wanna lie to me, make it a good one..." Jack growled, "Because it'll be your last!"

With a final shove, Jack turned and made his way in the direction Charlie had gone leaving Cam to reel in the aftermath of everything that had just happened.

"What the fuck is going on?"

...

"So what now?" Charlie asked from behind the wheel of the battle worn Hummer they were plowing through off road tracks in. Cam sat silently on the backseat trying to ignore the uncomfortable bounce he made over the many rough bumps in the terrain that Charlie seemed hell bent on aiming for. _Is he trying to get us airborne?_

"We await our new orders!" Jack answered. The man was like steel, nothing seemed to phase him. Not the bumps, not the erratic driving, not the fact that he'd just had a hand in killing either Reynolds or his daughter, a fact that still had Cam reeling. He really hoped that, for Jacks sake, the shot he'd taken was at Reynolds considering the emotional fallout if it were his daughter!

"Any idea how high up in the Resistance ol' family man back there was?"

"Nope!"

"Don't care?"

"Nope!"

"Fair enough!" Charlie shrugged and revved the engine over a particularly large rock in their path. "So, jammed rifle, huh!"

Cams eyes shot to the rear view mirror in time to catch the glint of cockiness from Kawalsky's eyes. _Great, he's one of those guys!_ "Can we drop it!"

"Well, we could! But I don't know about Jack but I prefer to know if someone on my team is gonna start chocking every time we need to bury some lead in a few skulls!"

"I didn't choke!" Cam sneered through gritted teeth. Just how much humanity had Ba'al stripped from Jack to not even be affected by what happened...the girl was just a kid!

"Sure seems like it!"

"Well, I didn't!"

"Yeah well..."

"God damn it, Charlie!" Jack suddenly bellowed, "Give it a fucking rest!"

Cam gaped at the stony General as he went back to staring out the open window. Maybe there was some humanity in him after all with a reaction like that! Charlie apologized sheepishly but not before casting a withering glare at Cam in the mirror. _Dick!_

The rest of the wild ride was done in silence which left Cam wanting to make a break for it as soon as possible. Just as Sam had explained, he had the undeniable conscious urge to head south towards the rendezvous point. He wasn't entirely sure where it was, or what it looked like, but somehow he knew which way he needed to go. The only thing stopping him from jumping out the door right now to start his journey was the fact that Sam would want to come for Jack and how would they know where to go if he bailed now!

_God, I hope the girls are alright!_

...

Jack eyed Mitchell warily as he unloaded his duffel from the backseat and slung it over his shoulder. He liked the kid, professionally, but was beyond pissed that he'd choked. It wasn't like him. Part of the reason he'd kept him around for so long was the fact that his young ambitious nature meant he could rely on that 'gung-ho' spirit to keep them alert...but this recent mission, something had changed. He was different, somber and far too quiet.

Back at the Reynolds he'd almost seemed...scared! That was not the Cameron Mitchell Jack knew. The Mitchell Jack was used to would have told him to fuck off if he were ever accused of lying. The Mitchell he was used to would have shoved back if attacked regardless of the reason, his fault or not. The Mitchell he was used to would not have thought twice about putting a bullet in that woman's head! The Mitchell he knew would not have choked.

The only explanation Jack could reason was that the man had finally snapped. Maybe it was the woman...maybe it was the girl. Maybe it was neither and just a build up from all his past hits. Jack wasn't sure, but one thing was for certain, Mitchell was different...and different in their profession was bad.

"What do you think?" Charlie asked quietly as they followed the younger man towards their hideout.

"I don't know!" Jack replied honestly, "But you gotta keep that smart ass mouth of yours shut until I do!"

"He's got the tell tale signs of a man about to crack!" Charlie warned and Jack agreed completely. He knew. He'd seen it before...in the mirror.

"Precisely why taunting him on the drive in was a stupid fucking idea!"

"I know, I know...Sorry, Jack!"

He sighed, "Yeah, well...best we keep an eye on him for now. Won't be long and we'll get another target then we'll see whether he needs to be one as well. Until then..." Jack paused before they entered the old worn down barn, "Think before you speak and try to keep the kid calm! Make him feel...welcome! Regardless of what happened!"

Charlie smirked as they finally made their way inside, "Fine, but if you think I'm gonna sit with him around a campfire singing Kumbaya, you got another thing coming!"

"Shut up!" Jack glared before making a beeline for their shower.

...

 


	6. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vala awakes to a crappy situation...and an even crappier welcome!

A searing jolt of pain travelled up her spine and sparked every nerve; Vala's eyes flew open in shock, a loud gasp escaping her lips as she arched from the discomfort. "Ow!" she commented dryly, her body slowly adjusting to the newfound aches. Her joints creaked as she stretched. Her muscles throbbed painfully. It was an all round horrible feeling.

Gritting her teeth, she used all her strength to push herself into a sitting position, hissing at the fire in her body until she could finally relax. Panting through the exertion, she willed the pain aside, for now, and focused her attention on where she was. Blinking, she cursed the darkness and waited for her eyes to adjust. She noticed the cage bars first, the three concrete walls surrounding her came second. A prison cell. Dark and grimy; a stale stench hung in the air surrounding her like a blanket of smog. It was very reminiscent of the various pits she'd found herself attempting to flirt or fight her way out of in her years. _Figures,_ she thought, _out of all of us I was bound to be the one behind bars._

Like being caught in a surprise attack, it dawned on her that non of what she was seeing, feeling, or smelling was real. Every sense, every muscle, every fiber of her being was fighting the memory of voluntarily connecting with the machine. It wasn't that it felt real, even though it did, it just felt normal. Being locked in a cell aching of that familiar pain one could only associate with torture felt more fitting to her character than any proof shown to her that she was a needed and valued member of SG1...no matter how much she wanted to be there! She shook that depressive thought away. No, she had proven herself more than once. _Focus!_

A faint tapping pricked her ears and she straightened; the sudden move causing her to wince. Footsteps, heavy boots growing louder with every step. Unwilling and too tired to be able to move, she resisted the urge to stand and fight her way out if necessary. Resting her body was the only way she was going to be strong enough to face whomever had imprisoned her. The footsteps stopped just outside her cell and she could vaguely make out the silhouette of a man, a large man, peering at her through the bars. 

"Are you ready to talk?" he said, voice low and unmistakably dangerous. It wasn't Ba'al, she knew that much for certain, but he had the fitting air of a Jaffa. The thought gave her no comfort. 

"Depends," She winced at the pain of shifting slightly, "Will I get to leave if I'm a good little girl?"

"It is unwise to show such insolence!" he growled lowly.

"Bite me!" she spat through a snarl. 

"Very well!" The veiled man sneered before he swiftly turned, with a grace that was entirely over dramatic, and loudly called, "COME!"

Vala's eyes rolled, "What, no Kree?". A moment later, a contingent entered. Their footsteps pounding on the concrete floor. Five silhouetted men. Jaffa. All with the same towering air of danger as their commander. 

A light flickered into life above her, the brightness making her eyes sting . The six men outside her cell remained hidden in darkness; she squinted in an attempt to see them better. A movement caught her eye, a seventh man moving out of the shadows. His broad physic moved towards his commander who gave a simple nod. Vala's heart raced as she watched the new man step forward, open her cell and allowed the light to shine upon him at last.

"Teal'c!" she coughed, her eyes smiling up at him, hopeful and relieved. 

"SILENCE!" he bellowed before he threw her fragile, bruised and already beaten body into the ground with one simple yet direct back hand to the face. She spluttered her surprise and hurt. 

"What the hell!" she gasped, her arms struggling to push herself upright again. She tasted metal, her bottom lip bleeding freely, and spat the blood to the floor before locking eyes with the man she thought she knew. 

"I SAID SILENCE!" Teal'c growled and before she had time to defend herself, he was sending his heavy boot into her unguarded stomach. Her eyes bulged with the pain and the sudden need to vomit. It felt so real, so intense. Exactly like she was getting a beating. _It shouldn't be this real!_

"Well done, Father!" The commander said, coming to stand by Teal'c. _Father? Father! Ry'ac!_  He looked down on her with disgust as she cradled her abdomen in the fetal position. "Now..." Ry'ac began, addressing her with a sadistic smile, "You will answer my question or you will suffer!"

He looked much older than the kind hearted Jaffa she had met in the real world. Eyes blazing and a seemingly permanent sneer affixed to his face. Their clothes were different to normal Jaffa attire as well. Gone were the customary suits of armor. Instead, their bodies were covered in more earthly clothes. Almost dirty looking black, military style pants and boots. Black shirts drowned out by dark leather jackets and over coats. All together in created a very underground look that was somewhat comparable to the kinds of criminals she had crossed and double crossed in her years. 

Ry'ac signaled one of his Jaffa who dutifully came forward brandishing one of the Goa'ulds favored torture weapons, their pain staff. She flinched. Without breaking eye contact, he handed the weapon to Teal'c. His eyes, still hard, flicked between the weapon and her, clearly taking in her bruised appearance. The faintest crease appeared above his brows. Hesitation. The moment was small, almost insignificant yet Vala was glad she had caught it. It meant her Teal'c was still in there somewhere. And it gave her confidence.

"I don't know if you've noticed," she gasped, sitting up slowly as she had been when he'd arrived, "But I'm already suffering!"

"Then you will suffer further!"

"Well," She glared, chin jutting out defiantly, before speaking slowly, "Get on with it then!"

He sneered, his disgust in her evident, then turned to his father, "If she does not talk, she is to be punished!" He indicated the pain device before turning abruptly to leave. His Jaffa contingent turned as well, proceeding to follow their commander out. Seconds from disappearing, Ry'ac slowed to a stop and turned back to his father to add, "And if she loses consciousness," he flicked her a smug grin, "Don't stop!"

That fleeting look of hesitation flickered over Teal'c's face again. He was uncomfortable with that final order. His brow furrowed as he looked at the pain stick in his grasp and then at her before nodding his understanding to his son. The Jaffa then left them alone and Vala let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. A part of her was worried. There was still a glint of rage in Teal'c's eyes. He was formidable in the real world and she had no doubt he was just as dangerous here, especially with Ba'al pulling all the puppet strings. Alone together now, Teal'c stared down at her, jaw clenching visibly. She swallowed her fear down and locked eyes with his, pleading. He took a step closer and she instinctually moved away, her gaze falling on the weapon in his hand.

Surprisingly, he shot a hand up, much as one would when encountering a wild beast, and his eyes softened considerably. The weapon dropped to the ground with a satisfying clunk. "I mean you no harm."

Vala's eyebrows shot to the sky. _What?_

***

The woman, so fragile looking, stared at him wide eyed. He didn't blame her. Especially not after his attack moments ago. His actions still stirred his insides with unease. The unfortunate thing though was that he did need information. Ry'ac would never accept anything less than that or her unconscious body bleeding on this cell floor. Anything else would have horrible results for him.

"Oh, thank god!" she suddenly sighed. Relieved. He supposed he would be too after the treatment she had already received. "Help me up would you, muscles!"

His head tilted, intrigued. She seemed much more lively now. Hand extended, she grasped it firmly and used his weight to pull herself up. He winced along with her as she grunted through the effort. "You should not be moving. You require rest." he tried to reason. Her response was a friendly pat on the shoulder as she limped past him towards the cell door.

"Plenty of time to rest when we get back!"

"Get back?" he asked, eyeing her carefully. Surly she would not attempt escape!

"Yes, Sam used that remarkable brain of hers and made us a lovely back door to this place!" her fingers grasped the bars of the door and gave a gentle tug. When nothing happened, she tugged again with more force. Teal'c moved closer, his interest piqued. Back door? Surely they would have found such a door during their routine perimeter checks. Perhaps this information would be of use to Ry'ac? "Where is this back door?"

"Are you going to open this thing or just stand there?" she asked, turning to him, hands on hips. Even in her obvious pain, she seemed defiant. Likely the reason for her current pain no doubt.

"You must answer my question!"

"You sound just like evil avatar offspring back there, you know!" As if undeterred, she went back to pulling at the door. Frustration growing with each failed attempt. His hand grasped her arm forcefully, jerking her back. Her eyes blazed as she stared at him in confusion.

"Ry'ac's order still stands! I must give him the answer he seeks!" he hissed, emphatically.

"What?" her face contorted into pure confusion, "Teal'c, we have to get out of here!"

"I'm sorry but I cannot let you leave. To continue to attempt escape would be unwise!"

"Teal'c," she started, eyes pleading with his, "You do know where you are right?"

"I do!" he answered, cautiously.

"Then why don't you want to leave? Everyone's worried sick about you! If you stay, Ry'ac will never see you again!"

Her words made no sense. Perhaps she was mad? "I do not understand! Did you not see my son just now?"

His words hung in the air as she stared at him. Moments passed before she gasped as if hit by a sudden realization. Her eyes widened as she took a step away, tugging her arm from his grip. "Teal'c, do you know who I am?"

"You are with the resistance!" he replied simply.

"No, Teal'c! I'm Vala! You're friend!" her fingers touched his arm tenderly. He stared at the grime between her fingernails completely confused by her behavior. She actually thought she knew him. "You're trapped, Teal'c! Ba'al imprisoned you, Daniel and General O'Neill! I'm here to get you back!"

Anger flared within him. She was delusional. Her eyes grew wide as he roughly grasped her hand and tore it from his skin. "President Ba'al has done no such thing! To suggest as much proves you are with the Resistance!"

"Ah!" Vala gasped, "Teal'c that hurts!"

He squeezed harder as he moved her towards the back of the cell. "We only wish to know where the Resistance camp is! Ry'ac will kill you if you do not confess!"

"I don't know anything about a resistance! Teal'c, none of this is real! I just came to rescue you!" she cried as she wriggled to free her hand. Rage boiled within him. He had shown her sympathy, compassion. Those before him had not been so forgiving. Others did not agree with his soft approach. He could have helped her. All she had to do was confess. No pain. No torture. Instead she had tried to coerce him into her delusions and in doing so had took advantage of his kindness. Now Ry'ac would ensure her suffering. And his. He had failed.

He shoved her, roughly, into the concrete wall. Like a ragdoll, she hit the solid barrier hard. Her head gave an audible thud before her entire body slumped to the floor. Her eyes rolled as her head lolled from side to side with disorientation. Unease filled him. Something about hurting this women felt wrong and regret bubbled inside instantly. In a moment she would be out cold. Blood had smeared on the wall where her head had undoubtedly cracked open upon impact. Vile threatened to erupt from his mouth. He shouldn't have pushed so hard. 

"I know you're in their somewhere," she whispered almost too quiet to hear, "You know this is wrong. You don't want to hurt people! You're different!"

He stumbled backwards, nearly tripping on the weapon he'd dropped to the floor earlier. Quickly, he picked it up and made a hasty retreat out of the cell. When he relocked the door he chanced a glance at her. She was looking straight at him, eyes trying to focus.

"Why don't you want to hurt people, Teal'c?" she asked, quietly, before her eyes fluttered closed and she slumped, unconscious, down to the ground.

He swallowed nervously before rubbing at his face. He had obtained no information, only more questions, and Ry'ac would surely punish him. This time, worse than the rest. Why was he like this. Every other Jaffa in this camp would not flinch at the prospect of torturing a prisoner, a terrorist as the Resistance members were, at the first chance. Yet he could not. He never could.

There was an anger that boiled within him. It raged from some unknown origin that he couldn't quite figure out. It left him on the borderline between what he perceived as being compassionate and dutiful. It was his duty to interrogate prisoners. It was his duty to inflict pain as ordered. Yet his compassionate side felt the duty was wrong. Felt the cause was not just.

The rage still burned within. It snaked its way to the surface to strengthen him in front of his son. Yet it also erupted, as it had moments ago, when he wished reason would intervene instead. He shouldn't have hurt the woman, Vala. If she was delusional, it was likely not her fault. Perhaps if he had calmed, not let the rage win, he could have played along until she admitted the information Ry'ac sort.

With shaking hands, he slowly left the cell block and made his way to his inevitable punishment. Aside from the fact he still felt sick from his treatment of the prisoner, another doubt occurred to him as he entered his sons chamber.

Why, if Vala is delusional, did her words bring forth that anger so suddenly?

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am sooooo sorry it has taken a while to update. Rest assured, I have the next chapter written but just need to go over it one last time before I upload. 
> 
> Comments and feedback appreciated. Or you can drop me a line on Twitter: @MarleyWard01 :)


	7. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam has a 'Kill Bill' moment when she awakens!

Pressure. Hard, hot, heavy and suffocating pressure was the first sensation Sam felt as she came to. The second was immobility and the third came in the realization that if she didn't breath, and soon, she was going to be in a lot of trouble.

Her eyes remained closed, an irritation surrounding them that had her itching to relieve it. Her mouth was dry, too dry, and tasted like dirt and her nose was completely blocked. Searching fingers met with continued resistance as she wiggled them. Small hard stones scratched at her skin as she struggled. Panic rose.

Her heart pounded, erratic beats that threatened to overwhelm her trained mind. She needed air. The lack of oxygen kicked her survival instincts into overdrive. She struggled, adrenaline coursing through her as she forced motion into every limb praying for some small victory.

Finally, success came. The course stones raking at her fingers gave way as she clawed through the soil. Slowly one of her hands inched higher, wriggling upward desperately until at last she could feel cool crisp air whipping at her fingertips. She pushed harder, clenching her hand into a fist. Punching through the rocky barrier, she felt the earth give way. The effort loosened the dirt encasing her body and with the last remaining ounce of strength she had she pushed her head upwards.

Like an explosion her body burst from the ground triumphantly. Dirt and soil fell from her hair and face as she climbed shakily out of her grave. Giving a slight shake, she felt buckets of dirt fall to the ground. With the back of her trembling hand she wiped at her closed eyes removing the dirt that had caused an unbearable itch. As her lungs opened, embracing the long awaited oxygen, she drank down as much air as she could with greedy gulps. Through the shock of her awakening, she hadn't realized just how empty her body felt. Now that her blood was pumping and the oxygen circulated, she could feel the life return leaving her to focus on the rest of her recovering body. Her mouth slowly started to produce saliva, a welcome combatant to the dryness that she could still taste. She blinked furiously, thankful for the moisture returning to her eyes as well. It wasn't long before she was able to focus on her surroundings.

Her hand framed her face to block the harsh sunlight filtering through the trees overhead, eyes still sensitive. Looking around, she frowned. There were no visible landmarks anywhere in sight, not even a marker to indicate the grave. Her grave. She gasped at the implication; she'd been dead! How could she have missed that? It was so dangerous! If she hadn't been able to claw her way out or if any detail had been different and she wasn't able to escape she could have died again, this time for good! _Shit!_

"Oh, god!" she gasped, voice husky from dryness. Looking down, she studied her soiled clothes. A large red and brown stain over her heart stood out like a large neon sign that screamed 'Death'. The matted area was hard to miss in contrast to the once plain white t-shirt she wore and at its center remained a torn piece in her shirt. A bullet hole. She had seen enough gun shot wounds in her years, even received them herself, to know one when she saw it. Tentatively, she touched it, her fingers plucking the material from her body to examine the damage fully. The skin beneath was scarred with an indent where the bullet would have pierced her flesh. She felt it, ran her fingers over the wound and surprisingly found no pain.

"I was shot!" she remarked before rolling her eyes at the obviousness of her deduction. She could just imagine the smart ass "ya think" Jack would have made if he were here. _Jack!_

Powered on by the intense desire to find him, and with unsteady legs, she slowly rose. Her knees trembled and her body swayed but she pushed through until she was standing fully. Like a newborn foul taking its first steps, she started out shaky but quickly found her feet. She stumbled clumsily on her first step and tripped over a tree root on the fifth but by the tenth she had regained almost normal mobility. With no idea where she was, or if she was anywhere near the rendezvous point, she trust the instinct that seemed sure of the direction she needed to go. Thank god for the program she had written. Hopefully Cam and Vala were already on their way!

She walked for what felt like miles, her feet growing more and more tired with every step. Scowling at her betraying avatar body, she pushed the irritation aside and kept moving. One foot in front of the other. It bothered her, the toll on her body. In the real world she had walked further and longer, much longer, before she ended up with a fraction of the fatigue she was experiencing and she'd had to carry her gear and weapons on top of heavy armor those times. _I guess being a walking corpse doesn't help matters here!_

Trudging through the woods, her ears pricked at the sound of a car engine near by. It grew louder and just as soon as it came, it faded. It was close. Very close. "A road!" she murmured and increased her pace. Moments later she found herself peering down a steep decline at a smooth road below. Smiling, she slowly edged herself down the rocky slope.

An engine roared behind her. Turning in its direction, relief flooded her when she saw a small car heading her way. With outstretched arms, she waved towards the driver then smiled kindly as they slowed. A young man, likely in his 20's rolled down the window and regarded her warily, "You alright?"

"Thanks for stopping!” she rasped, her voice husky to even her ears, “I just need a lift if you're headed that way?" she indicated the direction before them, "I'd really appreciate..."

"What happened to your clothes?" he gasped, eyes wide and fearful. She looked down at herself. _Crap!_ She had forgotten her bloodied attire, not to mention the bullet hole the stranger was currently eyeing.

"It's fine. I..."

"And your skin! You look like a ghost!" Sam heard the panicked undertone. _Shit! Shit! Shit!_ His eyes left hers and looked up and down the road, peering in all directions like a paranoid mad man. "I'm not looking for trouble!"

"Neither am I!” she pleaded, hands grasping the door like a lifeline, “I just need..."

"If you're part of the resistance, I'm not interested!"

"Please, just a lift!" her eyes implored him to listen. Her grip on the door turning her knuckles whiter than they already were. He shook his head and the next second was speeding away from her, dust from his spinning tires settling around her already unclean body. She coughed. _Great!_

Looking down at her shirt with disgust, she searched for options. It was going to be hard to hide the stain, even harder to explain it, so she did the next logical thing and removed the shirt altogether. Sure, in the real world she could be viewed as indecent, but she wasn't in the real world so not a care was given. She had a bra on after all. Examining the back, she was relived to find it stain free. The bullet that had pierced her hadn't gone all the way through. _Great! So I'm a walking corpse with a bullet still lodged inside!_

Another car approached in the distance so she hurriedly put the shirt on back to front and smoothed down her front self consciously. It was still dirty but was a considerable improvement. Once again she waved down the driver and was again relieved when they pulled over, this time a middle aged woman who smiled friendly. Sam jumped inside quickly when the woman gave a kind nod in silent agreement.

"Rough day, huh?" the stranger began as they pulled back onto the road and started their journey.

"You could say that!" Sam replied. She sounded like she had the worlds worst cold.

"You want me to get you to a hospital?"

"No, thanks! Just the nearest town!"

"You look filthy!" the woman remarked with a smile, "I've got a jacket in the back if you want it!"

"Thank you! That would be great!" Sam smiled at the surprising charity. Such an intricate piece of code. It acted so lifelike. The whole place was far more sophisticated and detailed than she had been expecting!

"My name's Lucy by the way!"

"Sam."

"Well, nice to meet you!" Sam smiled in reply and rubbed at her face, still irritated by how much dirt had made its way into every wrinkle and crease. _God, I need a shower._

"You mind if I turn up the radio? I was waiting for an interview to air!" Lucy asked sweetly, not waiting for Sam's response before turning the volume dial.

"It's fine!" she replied, her eyes fixed on the road ahead. The radio hosts voice filtered through the speakers. A man talked about the recently played song before announcing that their guest was now waiting on the line. _Celebrities!_ she thought, impervious.

_"Dr Jackson, how are you?"_

Sam straightened immediately to stare at the radio wide eyed! Lucy noticed her reaction with a chuckle, "Yeah, I was surprised they managed to get him on this station too!"

 _"I'm fine."_ Daniels voice crackled back. Even through the speakers Sam could tell when he was in no mood to talk. His quick reply told her enough to know he was far from interested in the interview about to be conducted.

 _"Excellent! Excellent!"_ the host babbled, excitedly, _"We understand working with the president mustn't free up too much spare time!"_

 _"No!”_ Daniel replied coldly, _“So why don't we skip the pleasantries and you cut to the chase about what you and your listeners want to know!"_

"Ooh!" Lucy smirked, knowingly, "This is gonna be good!"

Sam frowned, "He sounds so..."

"Arrogant?" Lucy supplied. Shrugging, she added, "Yeah but that's just how he is I guess! I've never heard him sound otherwise in interviews!"

She was right, his voice did have an aura of arrogance dripping from it. _Perfect, Asshole Daniel is going to be a fun!_ She thought sarcastically.

The host who spluttered, momentarily unnerved by the chilly response, _"Well, Dr Jackson, what can you tell us about the current status of the Stargate?"_

 _"It's operating"_ Daniel replied, simply.

Sam's eyes widened in shock, "Stargate? It's public knowledge?"

Lucy took her eyes from the road, momentarily, to stare warily, "Did you just wake up from a coma or something?"

"Or something."

Brow furrowed, Lucy returned her attention to the road, "The Stargate has been public knowledge for years!" she explained. The radio host began asking a barrage of questions about the Stargate's operation which Daniel answered coldly. Nothing being asked or answered was particularly informative. Yet. Lucy, Sam noted, seemed intriguingly interested in the subject matter and therefore possibly a more open source of information.

"So," Sam began, "Why's Dr Jackson so important?"

"Really?" Lucy asked, incredulously.

"Humor me!" Sam tried with a smile.

Lucy huffed, "He's the Presidents adviser on all things related to the Stargate and Alien Technology. He's the one who found it!"

"And the Stargate's existence doesn't scare you?"

"No!" she answered confidently, "It's fascinating! Besides, why should it scare us? Dr Jackson's research has uncovered many defensive weapons right here on Earth. Even if we were attacked by whatever is out there,” her hand gestured to the sky wildly, “We would be formidable!"

A frustrated sigh escaped the radio host and Sam found herself drawn back to the interview. Daniels lack of cooperation and informative responses were getting to his interviewer. _"Dr Jackson, there's been quite a lot of talk recently indicating the peoples concern over the Presidents control of the weapons platform in Antarctica!"_

 _"Really!"_ Sam noted the darkness in Daniels intrigued reply. As did the host.

_"Yes! In fact, some are convinced he may be tempted to use the weapon on those who would oppose him here on Earth! What do you think about that?"_

_"I think it would be unwise to, therefore, oppose the President!"_

_"So you admit he would harm his own people! How does that not make him any better than those that would come through the Stargate to harm us? How does that not make him a threat to our own planet? One man should not have such power over his people!"_

_"Would you feel better if we left the planet unguarded? Allowed our enemies to take this world?"_

_"Many believe those within the resistance seek to defend Earth by uniting our countries. Sharing our defenses, seeking allies!"_

_"Are we talking about people or are we talking about you?”_ Daniel chuckled darkly, _“Careful, it sounds like the latter!"_

_"I am merely putting to you what has been put to me!"_

_"Quite passionately too I note!"_

_"It is put to me passionately!"_ the host defended.

_"So you admit you consort with the Resistance! A known terrorist group! A group who have taken human lives for their own stubbornly stupid cause!"_

_"Many would argue they're protesters!"_ the host retorted, _"Not terrorists!"_

 _"mmhmm..."_ was Daniels only response and it sent a shiver down Sam's spine.

"Ten dollars says this host never talks on radio again after this!" Lucy snickered. Sam glanced at her through concerned eyes.

This was the second time today she had heard of a 'Resistance'. Looking at Lucy, she hesitated only briefly before asking the main question now on her mind, "What's the Resistance?"

"A thorn in the Presidents side. They want control of the Stargate. Use harsh propaganda to recruit more followers. Its gotten worse recently. More lethal. Bombings, bloodshed. Outspoken pro-president families murdered. Real nasty. But the President fights back harder. There's a prison camp set up not far from here, it's were captured resistance fighters are taken and questioned."

"And what do you think?" Sam asked before reminding herself that it really didn't matter what this piece of code 'thought'.

"Me? I just keep to myself. I'm more interested in learning about the Stargate than using it!"

"And what do you think of the prison camps?"

"Oh, well, terrorists are bad aren't they? Seems pretty fitting to me!"

Sam looked away quickly, concern for her own reality growing. What if this happened in the real world? Would the government be just as cut throat about protesters? She'd experienced how horrible the government could be in alternate realities first hand. Marshall Law. Could that really happen? _Then again,_ she thought, _this is all Ba'als design._

The hosts boisterous laugh broke through her musings as he brought the interview to a close. attempting to end things positively with Daniel who continued his deadly succinct replies.

_"Thank you, Dr Jackson! And good luck with your continued research. If you're in the area, Dr Jackson will be speaking at the Institute of Off-world Travel this afternoon at 2pm! Now lets jump right back into our no repeat workday with a little Nirvana..."_

"I was going to go to that!" Lucy sighed as 'Smells Like Teen Spirit" filtered through the speakers. She lowered the volume. "I'd love to ask him about the Dialing device and how it works!"

"It's complex!" Sam replied quietly, forgetting the ignorance she had shown earlier. Lucy stared at her in confusion. Ignoring her, Sam was already considering the clear opportunity she now had to find Daniel! First she'd need to get to the rendezvous point, change and then she was determined to make it to the Institute. Maybe finding Daniel would lead her straight to Jack. Her heart speed up at the prospect.

The drove on for several more minutes in silence until they passed a two star looking motel. Sam's mind flared. That was the rendezvous point! She turned almost full body around to stare at the location as it grew smaller in the distance, crying "Stop!"

"Oh my god!" Lucy exclaimed at the same time. The car came to a screeching halt as she slammed down on the breaks. Sam jerked forward and turned to stare at her driver. Her face fell immediately. Lucy sat, wide eyed, staring at her shirt. "What happened to you? There's blood all over your back?"

 _Shit!_ "Nothing, it's fine. I need to get out here anyway!

"Are you sure?” Lucy pressed, concern lacing her words, “That's...that's a lot of..."

"It's fine, it's not mine!" Sam lied, opening the door.

The blood drained from Lucy's face, "What?"

"It's a...It's from a dead animal. Hunters left it to rot and I fell...down a steep hill...right into it!"

"Oh!" Lucy sighed, relieved. Her eyes still remained fixed, concerned. "Uh, well, I still have that Jacket! Here," she reached into the back seat and retrieved the item quickly, "Keep it!"

"Thanks,” Sam nodded, pulling the jacket on not even worrying about pulling her hair out from the back, “And thanks for the ride! I'd pay you but I don't have any cash!"

Lucy waved her off, "It's okay! Just...don't fall into anymore dead animals okay?"

Sam sighed, _she bought it_! "Thanks, I'll try!"

They bid their farewells and eventually Sam was staring at the tail lights of Lucy's car as it drove off. She sighed with tremendous relief and began the trek back towards the motel. It had certainly been an educational drive. And an incredibly confusing awakening. Putting her shock aside for the moment, she focused on her next tasks; shower, get to Daniel and then hopefully Jack.

She'd find him. No matter what it took. She wouldn't rest until they were all out!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this chapter! the next is already being drafted but may not be up until next week!
> 
> As always, comments and feedback are encouraged and appreciated! :)


	8. Chapter 7

_A child's laughter. Bright eyes smiling at the world. A woman's grin. Her soft, loving caress as her fingers run down his face. Fading. Screams. Pain. An explosion. Blue eyes._

Jack's eyes flew open. A sheen of cooling sweat clung to his skin, the moisture reflecting the moonlight off his arm. With a groan, he sat up and rubbed his hands over his face. Every night it was the same. He saw their faces over and over. Charlie. Sara. Once his whole world, now all he had were the remnants of his burnt soul. Soon it would be completely gone and maybe then he'd be able to sleep.

“Again?” Jack started at the unwelcome intrusion. Kawalsky meant well, but Jack was in no mood to talk.

“I'm fine!” Jack grumbled, hoping his friend would take the hint.

“You're not!” Charlie pressed, “No one would be!”

“Can we not!” Jack snapped darkly. He glared at the man in his doorway. One of these days he was going to snap and break the mans damn neck for constantly interfering.

“You never had the nightmares before! Not since...”

“Charlie!” Jack growled though clenched teeth, “Drop. It!”

The man huffed, defeated, yet his eyes remained firmly locked with Jack's in a last act of defiance. As a final dismissal, Jack lay back down, eyes fixed on the dark ceiling. When he finally heard Charlie leave, his eyes flickered closed again.

He focused on his breathing, deep even breaths in and out. Trying with all his might to not to think about the fact that when he finally dozed off again, he was going to see the smiling faces of his dead son and wife before they burst into flames before him. And then those haunting blue eyes. The eyes he tried to hate...but couldn't.

…

The night air was cool, crisp wind whipping lightly at his face as he twirled the beer bottle back and forth in his hand. _So surreal,_ Cam thought, looking at the deceptively lifelike world around him, _So detailed._ The moon shone brightly above bathing his surroundings in soft blue light. He took a swig of the beer and resisted the urge to turn when he heard the door behind him open and close.

“Must be the night for it!” Kawalsky remarked as he cracked open his own beer and took a large swig.

“Night for what?”

“Not sleeping!”

Cam chanced a sideways glance at the man. They'd never met in the real world though the tale of Charlie Kawalsky's death had been a shocking one to read. The urge to ask about his life, get to know him, was strong but he resisted. This wasn't Kawalsky. It was was a piece of code. A program. Probably modeled off an image in the Generals mind. He doubted this man was anything like the real life Kawalsky so what was the point asking anything.

“So, you gonna tell me why your up or not?” Kawalsky prodded, the beer in his bottle sloshing loudly in the quite night as he took another sip.

“No reason, just not tired!” Cam lied. Truthfully, he couldn't close his eyes without the image of a bullet flying through the head of Reynolds daughter out of his head. It was a horrifying sight and one not likely to be forgotten even when he did eventually wake up. Thoughts of the girls, Teal'c, and Daniel plagued him as well. Were they okay? Had they made it to the rendezvous point? How was he going tot get the General out? With all that swimming in his head, he couldn't sleep. Not even if he wanted too.

“You know, if it wasn't for the fact I've heard Jack utter those exact words, I'd believe you!” Charlie chuckled, “So cut the bullshit!” Cam turned to him with a frown, Charlie shrugged, “What? I'm persistent!”

Cam considered his options. Option 1, turn around, walk back inside and learn nothing. Option 2, tell the truth and face a potential threat. Option 3, deflect and dig for information. He chose option 3. “Why do you do this?” he asked after a beat.

“What? The hits?”

“Yeah!”

Charlie took a slow chug of his beer, “For me, money! Its pretty simple.”

“It doesn't affect you? Killing innocent people?”

Charlie stiffened, “Innocent people?” he asked darkly, “I wouldn't call terrorists innocent fucking people! Bunch of family killing snakes is all the Resistance are! If you ask me, their members deserve worse so in answer to your question, no, it doesn't affect me. Jack gets our orders and we take out the targets, just like always, then get paid and wait for the next.”

Cam looked at his companion. Definitely nothing like the soldier he had read about! “But how can you justify killing children?”

“How do they?” Charlie retorted, turning swiftly to face Cams eye, “Look, I get it, we all have that one mission that fucks with our heads!”

“I'll say!” Cam murmured, taking a swig of his own beer.

“Jack was the same. There was a time not too long ago he slept through the night, didn't give a shit about a single hit but lately he's...I don't know.”

The silence hung uncomfortably for Cam. He wanted to know. Wanted the sentence finished. “He what?”

“Well, you know! He hasn't been the same since...that hit. I thought he would have been relieved, avenging his family and all. Instead, he tosses and turns at night. Wakes up in cold sweats. During the day he's fine. Even more focused than before. But at night...” Charlie trailed off, seemingly content with his answer.

Cam nodded in fake understanding and took another swig of his beer. He'd nearly finished it. Unknowingly, Charlie had given him a surprising amount of insight into the goings on in O'Neill's head. _So, something had happened to his 'family',_ Cam reflected. From the little that he knew about the Generals personal life, there was no getting around the knowledge of the tragic death of his son in the real world. Perhaps that same thing had happened here...except it shaped him differently. Like they were in some kind of alternate universe. An altered narrative. Ba'al could have used those ghosts from his past to mold him how he wanted. Curiosity peaked. What exactly HAD happened to O'Neill? He needed to know if he had any hope of getting the man out of here. Sam would need to know to help him when he awoke. And he was definitely going to need help because Cam was sure as hell he'd need some therapy for it when they were through.

“So what exactly did happen to his family?”

“Are you high or something?” Charlie asked incredulously and Cam had the good grace to play ashamed, “How do you forget that?”

“Humor me!”

Charlie regarded him warily, “They were killed by the resistance. Not intentionally but Jack saw it happen. Obviously it fucked him up. And then the President recruited him and he's been taking out members of the resistance one by one ever since!”

“But something changed recently?”

“What's your deal?” Charlie suddenly growled, tossing his beer to the ground in an angry rage, “You choke like a wimp on that last mission, out of no where, and what? Now you wanna know all about Jack? You a resistance sleeper or something?”

“What, no!” Cam defended, matching the rage as best he could.

“If I were you,” Charlie growled, menacingly, “I'd be more worried about yourself than Jack or I! One more hesitation...” Charlie tut tutted leaving the threat to hang in the air between them. A sneer crossed Cams face. Charlies features softened into a smirk as he turned back towards the barn, “Get some rest, your gonna need it!”

The door closed with a resounding thud leaving Cam alone once more. “Well, that was abrupt!” he breathed and downed the rest of his beer in one go before tossing the bottle aside. The glass smashed on the ground satisfyingly. He hoped Sam and Vala were okay. They were all definitely playing in the Lions den. _Note to self, steer clear of watching The Matrix for a while!_

**...**

Cold water soaked her hair, the water running down her face. The droplets left there inevitable wet trail as they ran down her body towards the shower floor turning a deep shade of maroon before swirling into the drains deep unknown. Goosebumps appeared over her skin, a side effect of the chilly temperature, but it hardly bothered her. She'd had colder showers in the real world. Tilting her face back into the spray, she closed her eyes in an attempt to forget about the fact she was washing soil and blood from a body that, not too long ago, had to dig itself out of a shallow grave. _What a day!_

It did occur to her that she was, technically, only showering in her head, although, if she was going to have any luck getting anywhere in this disturbingly life like place, she was going to need to blend in as best she could. Determined, her hands worked to spread the water over every dirt covered inch of her, working it off her body as quickly as possible. Her fingers grazed her stomach reminding her of the last time she remembered showering in reality. _God, my real body must smell horrible by now!_

Last time, warm hands had joined her. Caressed her skin playfully in a tell tale sign that helping her soap up was not the only motivation. Jack had proven countless times he was more than capable of turning her to putty in his hands with a few simple touches. When he put his mind to it, she always ended up shattering into oblivion. She sighed, content, and allowed her mind to wander into the memory.

“ _Mornin!” he whispered, lips teasing the skin at her nape before trailing a line of kisses along her neck to her shoulder. His hands snaked around to circle her waste, pulling her body_

_flush with his. She shuddered, his arousal evident and pressing into her backside. Hadn't he already showered?_

“ _I thought you were getting ready?” she sighed into his touch, “We're going to be late.”_

“ _Don't care!” he growled into her ear. One hand toyed with her breasts, sending a jolt of electrified desire right to her core, whilst the other moved tantalizingly slowly towards her center. “Jack...” she moaned, her head falling back onto his shoulder. Surrendering to his control. He dipped a finger into her and she bit back a groan._

_All too soon, his hands were gone only to return seconds later to grip hers. Before she knew it, he had her bent forward and braced against the shower wall. She widened her stance in anticipation. Water fell, hot and heavy onto her back, the warmth comforting. And then it turned ice cold._

Sam's eyes flew open. _Crap!_ Her hands gripped the shower wall before her in an eerily similar way to her memory. She shook herself. She didn't have time for fantasizing! She needed to get him out of here! The water stopped and she made quick work of patting herself down with the towel.

The motel room was small, dusty and neglected but everything she had programmed was here. Upon the bed sat 3 9-mil's surrounding a small black object. It had a simple square design, the large button in it's center leaving no doubt in Sam's mind that it was their 'backdoor'. She'd tried to keep the design as practical as possible considering the effort it had taken to write the coding for it. Small and discreet, it could fit in the palm of her hand perfectly.

With a withering look, she redressed in the only clothes she had. Her shirt was uncomfortable back to front however it hid the blood so she didn't complain too much. The jacket felt snug, a nice fit that accentuated her waist. Her pants, black cotton, breathed comfortably even through the layer of dirt covering them. It was a less than perfect look but she dealt with it.

She'd found a scrap piece of paper and pen in the motel reception upon her arrival at the run down building. The whole place was vacant. Every room unlocked and abandoned. She'd found their items in the last room, all untouched. Now, with pen in hand, she scribbled a quick note for Cam and Vala should they arrive while she was out finding Daniel. She was taking the backdoor so they were best off staying put until she returned. Hopefully with good news.

Satisfied, she grabbed one of the guns and, keeping the safety on, hid it in the back of her pants under the jacket. Out of sight. She picked up the 'backdoor' next and slid it into her pocket, careful not to place a finger on the button. She had programmed it to only activate upon fingerprint recognition. It seemed safer to carry it around freely that way. Give them piece of mind that it wasn't going to activate if they accidentally sat on it.

The wind swept her hair as she left the room. Again she marveled at the sophistication of the design. It was far too life like. Very convincing and intricate. The time it must have taken to write such a program would have been ridiculous. The question on Sam's mind was, why? Why go to all this trouble? Then again, if she, Cam and Vala hadn't awoken, they would have been trapped for who knows how long. Separated. Play things for Ba'al's amusement and torture. It would seem in his eagerness to get things started, he made one huge mistake. He got sloppy and underestimated their resilience to the knockout drugs. Perhaps, like her ordeal with Jolinart, Vala's experience being a host to a Goa'uld had left her with stronger protein markers that fought the drug quicker. Either way, she was thankful that luck had once again been on their side.

With determination, she set out to get to Daniel as quick as possible. First task, find transport.

…

Daniel scowled at the readout before him. “Is this it?”

“Yes, sir.” came the shaky reply of his assistant. A small girl, huge brown eyes peaking out from under thick brunette bangs. She looked no older than 18 but seemed to have the confidence of a frightened child. He really needed to replace her. Far too useless. Waitress would have been a more fitting title since the only thing she seemed to be able to do without fault was fetch him coffee. Perhaps the President would allow him one of the new recruits instead? Someone he could hand pick, maybe from the next, disappointingly small, bunch.

He huffed at the girl, what was her name again? Oh, yes, Anna. Anna? “I suppose they will have to do. Give the Doctor the go ahead!”

She gave him a small nod in reply and turned to leave. “Oh, and Anna...”

“Uh, it's Hannah, Sir!” she squeaked. He pinned her with a glare. Did she really think he cared? “Contact Ry'ac and advise him we have another sympathizer. That interviewer from this morning.”

Her eyes widened before she bowed her head, “Yes, sir.” With a swift turn, she was hurrying out the door leaving him alone in the vacant Auditorium. Too emotional. That was her problem. She thought too much, he could tell. Too bad for her, she could have saved herself if she wasn't. Such a waste of a pretty face.

Slowly he set about collecting his papers, artifacts and the like that had been the focal point of his discussions today. A lot of the attendees had shown enthusiastic interest in his work. In the Stargate. In the Ancients. It was the first lecture he'd given in a long time that didn't end with a heated debate about the Resistance. He supposed it had a lot to do with the radio interview, though. A nice warning to the population that had been. A complete waste of his time and annoying as hell, but a nice warning none the less.

His footsteps echoed down the empty corridors of the university as he made his way towards the basement. A few turns and an elevator ride down several flights had him inching closer. The numbers had been less than perfect. Five. Five potentials were all they had to work with. Today anyway. It was the lowest he had ever seen. Then again, it was better than nothing. The hallways grew darker as he neared his destination, a blue glow emanating from the room at the end proving to be a sufficient source to illuminate his path. A faint screech, like sneakers slipping on tiles, echoed from behind him. He turned sharply, peering into the darkness for any trace of movement or a silhouette. There was nothing. Scowling, he turned back towards the room and continued on his way.

At first glance, all seemed to be in order once he entered. All five potentials were seated before the projector, the imagery flashing brightly before them. Their ears covered by large headphones, arms, legs and bodies restrained. Most would frown upon the technique if they knew; One of the reasons it was secret. The overseeing scientist, Dr Felger, lounged comfortably. Feet perched on his work station, his head bopping rhythmically to music blaring from his own headphones.

“Doctor!” Daniel stated simply and watched, bemused, as the scientist jolted back into a more appropriate seating position. Nervous fingers began to tap the table his booted feet had been on in an attempt to look like her was working. _Idiot!_

“Doctor Jackson!” he fumbled, “I wasn't expecting you to come down here today!”

Daniel's attention returned to the potentials, “Yes, well, I have some spare time before I meet with the President!”

“They've only just been hooked up.” Felger explained, still fidgeting behind him, “No drama's other than the usual!”

That was always the way. From the moment they were collected. No idea what was about to happen, only the knowledge that their blood work had come back positive for the Ancient gene. From there it always played out the same. Taken into custody, questions, raised voices, sedation. Then they would awaken mid transport, be brought, usually struggling, into the university and then down to this very room where the kicking and screaming began as they were seated and restrained. From there Felger would swoop in and administer his paralysis agent which effectively ceased their struggles. Then the brainwashing would begin. By the end of the long sessions, each would be loyal to the President and the News stations could continue reporting about the new 'voluntary recruits' helping the President defend Earth against any Alien enemies.

“What about the last group?” Daniel asked, still studying the room.

“Oh, fine. Excellent even. End results as usual. They were shipped off to the training camps this morning! Some of them had the most prominent ancient gene we've ever seen as well.” Felger laughed nervously. Why, Daniel didn't know. Or care.

“Good. Keep me updated!”

Felger babbled awkwardly his assurances as Daniel turned and left the room without a second glance. The president was expecting him back.

…

Sam focused on her erratic breathing as she waited in the shadows. _Oh god!_ After hearing Daniel on the radio, she was prepared for the possibility that Ba'al had messed with him on some level but not to this extent. Going in, she guessed they probably wouldn't know they were in a simulation but seeing that room, those poor kids, the way his hard face hadn't cared at all about their well being proved without a doubt that Ba'al had changed something fundamental within him. He was evil.

When she had finally arrived at the university, stealing a car with GPS to make it, she had been tempted to approach him right away. Had even been waiting in the corridor outside the auditorium when his assistant came practically running out of the room, phone to ear as she forwarded Daniels orders. When he had eventually left, she had been expecting him to see her right away. Expected him to turn towards her. Instead, he set off in the opposite direction and so, intrigued, she followed closely. She could have alerted him to her presence sooner but something about how he had spoken to his assistant, how he walked, how he held himself, gave her pause. She followed him down into the darkness of the basement area, waiting for his elevator to stop before she flew down the stairs instead. Her shoes had rubbed on the floor, squeaking loudly and she cursed her stupidity. Luckily, she had been able to leap into the shadows just before he had turned at the sound. Light filtered through a room at the end of the hallway which he eventually entered. Remaining hidden, she had shifted closer to the doorway, ear close, listening. Nothing had made sense, not until she peaked inside. What she saw made her stomach churn.

An overwhelming panic rose but she forced it down; hiding behind her military facade. Daniel didn't stay long, seemingly only arriving to give a quick once over and then leave. As he neared the elevator again, she knew she had to try something. He needed to wake up. He needed to get out of here. She didn't want to think about how he would handle this when he awoke. Knowing him, it would tear him up inside. And then she thought of Jack. And of Ba'al's history with him. _God, what could he have done to him?_ The urge to vomit resurfaced. Daniel hit the elevator button and waited patiently. He didn't notice her, didn't show any signs that he was aware that he wasn't alone, so when the doors opened and he stepped inside, pressing the button for the surface, the surprise on his face when she stepped in after him wasn't unexpected.

“Hi Daniel.” she said simply as the doors closed behind her. He stood motionless, eyes wide. “Look, I don't know if we have much time, but you're in a simulation. Ba'al captured you and you need to come with me!” she continued. He didn't move a muscle but his face hardened. “I know I probably sound crazy, I don't know how much Ba'al's messed with you but you're in danger!” she tried again, eyes pleading with his. Seconds ticked by, a silence falling over them as the elevator moved. When they passed one floor, Daniel snapped out of his trance. Unfortunately, she wasn't prepared for how quickly he moved.

Hands gripped her throat and pushed her into the elevator doors. For the second time today, she gasped for air. He pinned her, eyes blaring as he drew a hand back, fist clenched. He scored one blow, her cheek throbbing from the contact. She cried his name, hands fisting his shirt, scratching at his hands, shoving his chest. She didn't want to hurt him, regardless of how he acted here, but she knew he would want her to if he got out of hand. 

His fist pulled back again, ready to strike but this time she was ready. As it flew towards her face, she used her upper body to push herself away and he hit the door with a resounding thud. His grip loosened allowing her to escape his hold. He cried out in pain as he nursed his hand. “Bitch!” he cursed her.

“Daniel I...” words left her as she noticed him stiffen, staring at the floor. Her eyes followed his and she cursed herself. _Shit, the gun!_ They both lunged for it, hands pushed each other like squabbling children before Daniel stood triumphantly, gun in hand. _Oh, boy!_

“Daniel...please, don't!” she begged, backing into the elevator doors. He smiled cruelly and held the gun steady. “Guess you aren't as dead as they said!” he snarled. Thinking quickly, she held his gaze as her fingers moved to press the elevator buttons. “Lets fix that!” he continued before aiming the gun at her head. The elevator slowed to a stop and she sighed inwardly. Daniels eyes flared as the doors opened. Her heart raced as she backed out into the corridor just as his fingers squeezed the trigger. Nothing happened and a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding left her lungs. _The safety!_ Daniel stared at the gun bewildered but she didn't stick around to watch him figure it out. Without a word, she bolted, running as fast as she could through the building until she found an exit. Once outside, she didn't stop. Not once did she look back. She ran and ran until she reached the stolen car and then she floored it out of the area back towards the motel.

 _That was close._ _And stupid!_ She'd go back for him, try again. Next time she would need back up. She needed to get to Cam or Vala. Or preferably both...and fast!

**...**

Burning pain surged through his entire body. Fire, searing a violent path from head to toe and had him seeing white behind closed lids. In the moment it felt infinite. Never ending. It always felt that way. One would hope that the feeling would pass when it finally stopped, but that was never true. Not for Teal'c anyway, not when the cause of his torture was staring down at him through eyes that once stared up at him with such hope and wonder. If only he was like the rest. If only he could close off the part of him that saw the fault in their days, in their existence. If only he was like the rest...maybe his son wouldn't have the opportunity to take such please in his pain.

Ry'ac's eyes blazed as he withdrew the pain staff. The fire died immediately and Teal'c exhaled a shaky breath through quivering lips. Drool dripped slowly down his chin, his head hanging loosely in an exhausted slump. Torture was draining and today's session had been no exception. The metal cuffs encasing his wrists above him dug sharply into his skin. Cuts where the hard edges had marked him during his ordeal stung. He wa sure he presented quite a pitiful sight.

Fleetingly, he thought about the woman, Vala. Was she still alive? Or was she being tortured the way he should have? The way he was being? He really shouldn't be thinking of her now. Not when his sons fury had come from his failure to interrogate truth from her lips. He should probably hate her for this, should want her dead, but truthfully he was worried about her. There was something about her. Something about the words she spoke, odd as they were, that had kept him questioning himself even during his explanations to his son.

Ry'ac was furious with him. And rightfully so. He had given an order, he expected results. To not punish would show weakness and Teal'c knew that the minute he had brought nothing but mad woman musings to his commander. Ry'ac had bellowed his anger; made his displeasure known to not only Teal'c but a majority of the camp as well. This time, he had made an example of him, walked him through the camp towards one of the many torture cells knowingly passing prisoners as he raged loudly at his father. Teal'c was no fool, he knew why. It was a warning; a reminder to everyone at camp that the commander was ruthless and merciless. He just wished the look of sadistic pleasure glinting in Ry'ac eyes didn't looks so obvious when it came to his punishment.

_Why don't you want to hurt people, Teal'c?_

“You disgust me, Father!” Ry'ac spat, “You are weak!” Teal'c remained still, too exhausted to speak even if he wanted to. “You bring shame to our name and our lord!” The pain staff clattered to the floor as Ry'ac gave him a withering scowl, “I will tolerate this no longer. The next time you fail me will be your last!”

The door opened and slammed shut loudly leaving Teal'c in darkness and quiet despair. As he slumped, arms extended over his head uncomfortably. He wept for what he wanted. He felt corrupted, weak. As a Jaffa, these were feelings not tolerated within the ranks. Ever since their lord had taken this planet, he had seen his son rise to the top, seen the wonder die with every passing day until he wasn't even sure he was looking at his son anymore. Jaffa tradition told him he should be proud, be happy for his son yet he despaired. Was he the only one who saw fault in their lord? Was he the only one that wished for peace, for compassion? The Jaffa were being used, they deserved freedom!

_Why don't you want to hurt people, Teal'c?_

The door opened suddenly and two guards entered. With no care for his condition, they released his wrists and made no move to assist him when he fell to the cool floor with a thud. It should have hurt but it was nothing compared to the pain he had just been through. They left him there, door wide open in a silent allowance to re-enter the camp. Light shone onto his resting form as he tried to focus on his breathing. He didn't want to move, too tired to do anything but wallow in his thoughts.

Again his mind wondered to the woman. What was it about her. Something inside him screamed to help her. Find out more. Apologies for his actions. He hoped he hadn't caused her any long term harm! To seek her out would surly be his death though. Then again, he was already a shell of a man, what was the point continuing. His fate was sealed. There was no way he could change his compassionate ways the way Ry'ac wished. Death by his sons hands was inevitable. Perhaps using his one last act of defiance to help another would give him some relief in his final moments.

The woman flashed across his mind, her image forming in his mind as he slowly slipped into unconsciousness. He envisioned her before him, her bruises gone, long black hair neatly brushed and sitting prettily about her face as she crouched down beside him. Her fingers traced the gold symbol of his former lord, Apophis, gently before smoothing over his head tenderly. “Why don't you want to hurt people, Teal'c?” she asked with motherly care.

“Because it's wrong!” he mumbled in response as she disappeared and his world feel to black.

…

“Hey...”

Vala stirred awake and winced at the abrupt move. _Oh, yeah! Tortured!_

“Can you hear me?”

The faint feminine voice made her start. “Hello?” she asked into the dark, her brows furrowed in confusion. The woman's voice was quite, muffled. If she was listening correctly, she'd bet her life that she was in a cell behind her. Pulling her body up through gritted teeth, she edged along the wall until she came to a small vent. Nearing her ear, she knew for sure when even breathing echoed through the small space.

“Oh, thank god! You can hear me!” came a relieved sigh.

“Yes...” Vala answered slowly, “But, who's we?”

“I don't have much time left. The next visit's going to be the last!” the woman laughed, sounding slightly unhinged, “But I've still won. They got nothing! Nothing! They can kill me but I gave nothing!”

“Well, that's, uh...great?”

“Don't give em anything! They think we're weak because we refuse to submit. But we're not! We're strong!”

“You know, in the real world, you'd be an excellent feminist whoever you are!” Vala remarked as she settled her back against the wall and relaxed her aching joints. The woman chuckled and then exhaled loudly.

“What part of the resistance are you from?” she asked.

“Uh, how about, I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours?” Vala posited, hoping to talk her way around anything that may give her away. This woman could be a trap after all!

“Oh, I wasn't important. I just hated the President. I never got high up in the ranks. Though I do know where that secret compound of his is. Was on my way to report my findings when I got caught! Stupid.”

Vala huffed. This whole resistance nonsense was getting boring. All she wanted to do was leave. Get Teal'c, escape, find the others, especially Daniel, and leave this horrid place for good. “Well, if you ask me, the way my days going, the Resistance is highly overrated!”

“Oh I don't know about that! President Ba'al needs to be stopped. That man is pure evil!” the woman remarked calmly. Vala reflected over the words. She hadn't been surprised when, earlier, Teal'c had referred to Ba'al as the president. It made sense that the snake would take on a powerful role if he were here. It's what she would have done. _God, if I ever find that worm I'm going to delight in killing...wait a minute!_ Vala bolted upright, forgetting too late that she had bruises covering almost every inch of her. She hissed in pain.

“Are you okay?” came the woman's concerned voice.

“Yeah...” she hissed, “I just remembered something. Did you say you knew where Ba'als compound was? I take it thats where he hides out? Does his business?”

“Yeah! Why?”

“You wouldn't be able to explain where it is to me would you?”

“I guess, yes. But why? It's not like you're getting out of here!”

Vala smiled, “Oh, you'd be surprised at the places I've escaped from...worse than this! Listen, uh, what's your name by the way?”

“It's Janet. Janet Fraiser.” Vala's eyes widened in surprise. She knew that name. Knew it well. Daniel spoke of the late Doctor fondly. Why the hell had Ba'al brought her back to life in here? _No time to dwell on that now._ Vala shook herself.

“Well, Janet, I'm Vala, and if you tell me what you know, I promise to do my best to tear down that arrogant son of a bitch as painfully as possible!”

She could practically here the smile spread across Janet's face as the woman began giving her directions and with each detail, Vala's own smile grew wider and wider.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope everyone is enjoying this so far and I'm TRYING to upload chapters as fast as possible but real life gets in the way. 
> 
> On another note, I do believe I could use a Beta but unfortunately I haven't the faintest idea how to go about approaching anybody. SO, if you happen to like my work, or even just this one, and are interested in helping me out with future chapters (even just to run your eyes over works for spelling and grammar errors) hit me up on either twitter OR Tumblr under @MarleyWard01 :)


	9. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big, HUGE, thank you to LVB for being an amazing beta! Honestly, I'm so appreciative of you taking the time to go over this! It means a lot and I really can't thank you enough.

Pain stabbed at his chest as he moved slowly through the darkened corridors. There was no sound other than the shuffling of his tired feet on the concrete and the exhales of his shaky breaths as he soldiered on, head strong. As soon as he could, he had taken to his new mission with stubborn determination that rivaled all he'd done before it.

Rest had done Teal'c good. Being unconscious had given his symbiote the time it needed to restore his body to a much less painful state. He tried to get used to the constant movement within. The urge to reach into his pouch and remove the snake-like being was strong and, sometimes, he wished there were another way. The knowledge that his only hope of living was to coexist with the creature disturbed him greatly but, unfortunately, it was what it was. He just wished it didn't feel so wrong all the time.

He focused on his mission. Making it to Vala Mal Doran would be the easiest task of the night. The hard part would be their escape. It was highly unlikely that they would remain undetected, even with his knowledge of the camp. Chances were, if they weren't caught by one of his fellow Jaffa guards, one of the prisoners would surely draw attention to their actions in hope of bargaining for their own freedom. Not all those detained and tortured at this camp were as loyal to the resistance, or each other, as they liked to believe.

Vala's cell block was darker than the path that had lead him there. With no windows and a heavy door, it proved effective in keeping out any kind of light. Most new captives didn't understand the reasoning for such utter darkness until the sensory deprivation started to weigh on their sanity. It was a proven method; send the prisoners into fits of frustrated rage in order to weaken their resolve further. Thankfully, he knew where the light switch was.

The lights flickered on and he saw her immediately. She looked just as she had the last time he saw her. A beaten woman. She was awake, eyes fixed on his in the silence. Her breathing came deep and calm. Her head rested back on the wall behind her as she sat, knees bent, upon the cold, hard floor. There was a sharpness to her eyes, a deadly invitation to treat her as he did last time with the promise it would not end well for him should he be inclined to do so. The aura of cockiness and confidence surrounded her, giving him an unusual sense of peace. It seemed so natural but he couldn't figure out why.

“Come to finish me off for the offspring?” she finally asked, breaking the silence.

“I have come to help you escape,” he declared.

She cocked her head to the side, “Escape?” she echoed, doubtfully.

“Indeed.”

A smile slowly spread across her face lighting her features up in a way he hadn't yet seen. Hidden beneath the dark bruises and matted hair was the beauty of a woman who knew how to use it. The thought gave him hope for their escape. “Well,” she croaked as she pulled herself to her feet and hobbled towards the cell door, “It's about damn time!”

He made quick work of opening her cell door and helping her out. She acted much stronger than he knew she was, refusing his offered hand of help. There was no way her body wasn't aching from head to toe with the injuries she had sustained. Then again, they couldn't afford for her to be slow as they made their break.

“We must act quickly,” Teal'c warned as they peered out the cell block door into the open area outside. “Guards patrol the camp border regularly although there is a section which remains hidden in darkness and fortunately less frequented. It is not far from here but we will need to move fast. Watchers in the towers monitor the fence line also. It would be foolish to believe we will remain undetected once on the outside!”

Vala smiled, “Don't worry, Muscles! I won't slow us down!”

He acknowledged her promise with a curt nod and then they were moving. Teal'c took point, moving at a brisk pace with the expectation that she would follow closely. From the corner of his eye he could see her wince with every limp yet she kept pace, hot on his heels. They rounded a corner and he slowed them to a snail’s pace as he waited for a guard to disappear from sight. It was dark, their bodies hidden by the shadows of the buildings though one false step and they would undoubtedly be seen.

When they started moving again, it didn't take long to reach the boundary fence. Teal'c climbed over first, ignoring the pain in his hands as the barbed wire nipped at his flesh. The woods that surrounded them were thick with growth. Large, old, oak trees littered the area providing much needed cover whilst the scattering of woodland ferns seemed ideal for last minute hideouts. Vala hit the ground behind him with a satisfied grunt before she flirtatiously flicked long strands of hair away from her face. Considering she had just been tortured for weeks on end, she seemed oddly unaffected.

“What?” she asked accusingly, catching him staring stoically. A rustling of leaves behind them prevented him from voicing his musings.

“Sholva,” came the voice of a young Jaffa guard before the unmistakable sound of a zat charging, “Kree!”

Teal'c turned slowly, arms raised in surrender. He should have known the outside perimeter would be patrolled as well. Nevertheless, he was proud he had gotten this far, and that his last act would be one of kindness. With a last glance at Vala, who mirrored his actions, he surrendered mentally to his fate. If he was to die this day, he would die free.

“What have you to say for your actions, Sholva?” the guard spat.

Teal'c merely parted his arms wide in surrender before uttering, “I die free!”

“Woah!” Vala suddenly exclaimed. In a heartbeat she was standing between himself and the guard, fists clenched, “Not if I can help it!”

In one swift move that rivaled the level of training of any Jaffa, Vala had disarmed the guard and had the weapon trained and discharged. Teal'c could only blink as she turned to him with a scowl, “You were really going to surrender that easily?” she shook her head, “Oh, Muscles! You've got too many years left in you to give up that easily. Come on!”

With a majestic whip of her hair, Vala began trudging off into the darkness of the woodland with an air of confident direction. She was, indeed, one of the most headstrong women he had ever met!

…

“Are you certain we are going in the right direction Vala Mal Doran?”

“Oh, absolutely!” Vala replied, theatrically, “Trust me! We're getting close. I can feel it!”

“Very well, I will disturb you no further.”

Vala eyed her large Jaffa friend as he focused on the road before him, hands clasped to the steering wheel of their stolen vehicle as if the prospect of loosening his grip would result in the whole thing falling apart. “You're not disturbing me.” she replied after a short silence, “In fact, I quite like talking!” she laughed, heartily, before realizing she was alone in her joy. “Maybe it'll help you?” she tried.

“I do not require assistance.” he grumbled, lowly.

“So you remember then?”

He glanced down with a frown,“No.”

“But?”

“I feel...I do not know. It is difficult to explain.”

Vala considered him for a moment before turning in her seat, legs swinging around to tuck easily under herself. She winced at the pain still radiating from every bruise but pushed through it, “Try me.”  

He hesitated for only a moment, “You make me feel...unlike myself.”

“How so?”

“It is as though I know you.”

“That's because you do! In the real world!

He shook his head in frustration, “You speak of things that are impossible.”

“Except it's not. You're living it, Teal'c. You're trapped. A prisoner in your own mind. How do you explain those feelings? You feel like you know me because you do. In the real world we're part of the same team and, dare I say it, close friends. We travel to other worlds together along with Colonel Cameron Mitchell, Colonel Samantha Carter and Daniel Jackson.”

“How can that be so when I possess no memories of these events?” he replied intensely, eyes darting to hers for the briefest of moments.

“You will, you're going to remember it all. I'm sure of it!” He remained silent and she attempted a tender smile, “You're a good man, noble and kind, and you've been thrust into a world telling you you're not so your mind’s rejecting everything it sees. That's why you're so confused. Open yourself to the idea. This world isn't right. There's a better one. I promise you that.”

He didn't reply which she hoped meant he was digging deep into his thoughts. Convincing him to help her had been easy. So easy, in fact, that she didn't need to convince him at all. He came to that conclusion on his own. The morals of her friend were buried so deep within him that no amount of manipulation would change that. Perhaps it had something to do with his age. His species even? Whatever reason, she was glad for it. She just hoped they found Daniel and the General in much the same mindset. Memories, it seemed, would be the real challenge. She knew first hand how awful it was to not remember who you were, an experience she wished, ironically, that she could forget. The only sweet moment she could cherish from that time was the realization that it was Daniel who had truly helped her remember. Who had been there for her. She hoped she could return the favor. If not, hopefully all would be fine once they left this place. Vala sighed, _hopefully._

She could feel them getting closer, the odd sense in her head proof enough of that. In the distance, she spotted a run down motel. It's sign almost completely hidden by overgrown trees and shrubs. The feeling inside her, like an internal GPS, intensified. _That must be it,_ she thought.

“Teal'c, pull over at that motel.” she instructed, “That's gotta be it!”

…

“They're not here,” Vala remarked, anxiously.

Teal'c stared at the paint peeling off each wall and the rotting wood of the posts barely holding up the awnings hovering over each room. He frowned at the entire building. “Are you certain this is the right place?”

“Yes!” she snapped. He quirked an eyebrow at her. “Look, just...help me look through the rooms. If they haven't been here, then there should be supplies. Hopefully an object that looks out of place. If you see that, don't touch it. Not yet, anyway.”

She disappeared into the first room leaving him standing outside alone and more than a little concerned for the obvious questionable sturdiness of the abandoned building. Reluctantly he moved towards the end room and entered. It smelt like soap and iron. A subtle smell that reminded him of how he smelt the last time he saw Ry'ac - with blood dripping down his face. Moving further inside, he noticed two guns sitting neatly upon the bed, a piece of paper tucked underneath one.

“Vala Mal Doran!” he summoned and moved further into the room. Seconds later he could hear her footsteps grow louder as she ran towards his voice. She burst into the room behind him and gave a gasped 'Yes' as she spotted the weapons on the bed.

“Someone has been here recently,” Teal'c observed as he pushed open the bathroom door and stepped inside.

“It was Sam,” Vala stated. From the faint crinkling of paper, Teal'c assumed she was reading a note from the aforementioned 'Team Member'. He, however, was less concerned about the note and more so about the flecks of drying blood and dirt speckled along the shower wall. That would explain the smell.

“She says to stay...” Vala read as she entered the bathroom behind him, her sentence trailing off as she took in the scene Teal'c had already been observing, “...here. Well, _that_ can't be good!”

“I concur!” Teal'c said simply as his gaze roamed over the rest of the room. This 'Sam' must have been filthy before showering from the amount of dirt scattered around the room. Hopefully she was not harmed too severely. The very fact that she had found the need to leave served as reassurance in itself.

“She left a note. Says to remain here. She took the 'Backdoor' and went to find Daniel.” Vala explained, handing him the note to see as well, “Judging by the fact there's still water there,” she pointed to the shower floor, “I'd say she can't have been gone long.”

Teal'c folded the paper up and handed it back to his companion, “Then we will remain until her return.”

The sound of an engine and unsettled gravel filtered through the room pricking their ears. They gave each other a fleeting look and quickly left the room to peak outside. Vala grabbed both guns and gave one to Teal'c. Safeties off, they both darted to either side of the door and lay in wait. The engine stopped rumbling and Teal'c felt a shiver of adrenaline pass through him.

A figure burst through the door aggressively, the doorknob coming inches from slapping Vala in the face. A black box was thrown to the bed before long, feminine, blonde locks were tossed back over the woman's head. She sighed, exasperatedly, as she turned around. “Crap! She cried, hand clutching her chest from the fright of discovering their crouched forms by the door.

“Sam!” Vala screeched, her body catapulting towards the still shocked woman, “Oh my god, I'm so glad you're safe!”

“Vala?” Sam whispered, disbelievingly. The look on the fair skinned woman's face was one of utter relief and happiness as she returned Vala's hug a second later with as much gusto as her dark haired friend. Teal'c stood, motionless, as he observed both women and the joy radiating from each.

“You look like hell!” Vala remarked as they pulled away to give each other a once over.

“You don't look too great yourself.” Sam replied, fingers reaching to examine the various bruises marked over her friend.

“I'll be fine,' Vala deflected, “Nothing I haven't had before.”

“Still, this place is...” Sam trailed off on a gasp as her eyes locked with his. She exhaled a shaky breath as her eyes welled with glistening tears. “Teal'c!” she croaked.

He studied her, taking in the features of her face now moving closer towards him. The familiarity with this woman was unlike anything he had felt with Vala. This time it was a nagging itch that begged to be scratched as if just beneath the surface lay dormant secrets and intense emotions that he needed to know. Should know. She stood before him now, a moment away from cracking. Her lip quivered as she reached out to pull him down into a fierce hug, arms circling his. She sobbed a quiet 'thank god' as she buried her face in his neck.

He was reminded suddenly of a time that no longer existed. She was older then. The long strands that had covered his face had been shimmering silver instead of brilliant blonde as she wept for a General aboard a prison in time. For her, it never happened. For him, it was a moment he could never forget.

Like a staff blast to the chest, memories ran free like blood from the wound. His life began to flash before his eyes as he clung to Sam like a lifeline. Images of his father smiling down at him as a child. Bra'tac, the closest he had to family since his father’s death. Ry'ac. Not the sadistic leader he knew in this life. No, his Ry'ac was kind, gentle, and a warrior worthy of every respect and honor he could bestow. He remembered Apophis. Remembered rebelling. Remembered his new home and his new friends...family. Years fighting side by side to defeat the Goa'uld. The true enemy.

Colonel Jack O'Neill. General. A brother he would die for. A friend he would turn to.

Doctor Jackson. Daniel. Another whom he had wept for too many times for one Jaffa's lifetime. A man with knowledge and compassion beyond his years.

Captain, Major, Colonel Samantha Carter. A female warrior of great skill, cunning and intellect. Her smile could light up the entire room.

The smiling faces of Colonel Cameron Mitchell and Vala Mal Doran passed by in the montage of emotions and imagery. Memories of their adventures poured out of him. It was too much. Too intense. Loved ones lost. Enemies slain. Friends met. Friends gone. The memories clashed with the fake and battled aggressively for dominance. All the while he clung to Sam like she was the only thing keeping him afloat in a turbulent ocean.

He swayed and it was then that he realized had it not been for the two women now holding him with concern etched over their faces, he would not have remained upright. He hadn't even noticed Vala had moved.

“Teal'c, talk to me,” Sam pleaded, “Say something!”

“I...” he tried, his voice broken as if it were the first time he was truly speaking. “I need to sit.”

“Come on then,” Vala said as she hauled an arm over her shoulder to take half his weight whilst Sam maneuvered herself around in his tight grip to do the same. Together, they walked him towards the bed and plopped him down with a gentle grace he wasn't expecting. They crouched down before him as he hung his head and cradled it in his hands. One of them, he wasn't sure who, was gently stroking his thigh. It soothed him but did little to quiet the tornado in his head.

He remembered everything. Everything about himself and everything about what had happened here. It was disorientating. He'd been through this before. Been left with 50 years of a life only he lived. This was different though. This was an entire lifetime. He had two sets of memories. Two timelines running through his head. One he knew was,undoubtedly, real yet the other felt just as intensely vivid. A vague memory of staring at himself through the eyes of a human fireman made things even worse.

“Dream?” he asked, breath ragged. The hand on his thigh squeezed.

“Kind of,” Sam said. “I take it he didn't remember before I got here?” she asked Vala.

“No,” Vala replied, “And I'll try not to take it personal that you didn't remember until Samantha showed up, Muscles.” Teal'c chose to ignore the quip but he was grateful for some normalcy from the two women before him.

“We need to get him out of here.” Sam stated as she rose to retrieve the black box that had been thrown to the bed earlier. Teal'c assumed, from Vala's explanations, that it was the device which could awaken him from this nightmare.

“Wait, I haven't seen or heard from Cam. What if we need him?” she gestured to Teal'c's cowering form, “To help with the others?”

“I'm not taking that risk.” Sam objected, “We have no idea what this program is doing to them neurologically! Besides, does he look like he's ready to do anything right now?”

“No,” Vala conceded, “I suppose not.”

“We came in to get them out. That's what we're going to do!” Vala huffed dejectedly but said nothing to counter Sam's logic.

As he sat there, his mind still swimming with faces, names, and events, it felt like the memories he had of this 'fake' world were crawling around like insects ready to infest his entire life. His head ached, the pain from his torture pushed aside for this newfound agony. The more he thought about his past, the more he wished he could just scoop his brain right out of his head.  

Rage curled within him. Rage for Ba'al. Vala had said it was him. Had explained what he'd done. At the time, he didn't believe it. Couldn't. But now, now he wanted the parasite dead. Slam a blade straight through his neck into the alien within and scowl as the flashed glow of his eyes signaled the end of his life. The image of a dead and bleeding clone gave him comfort but also reminded him of the scene in the bathroom. Blood on the walls, dirt on the floor. _Sam!_

His head shot up, eyes seeking his friend. “Colonel Carter!” he stressed, forgetting his own torment in favor of ensuring her own well being, “Are you injured?”

She looked at him, slightly taken aback, “I'm fine, Teal'c.”

“Are you certain?” he implored. Standing on shaky legs, he moved to examine her fully. He noticed the paleness of her face, a ghostly likeness that didn't sit well in his stomach. Her pants were tinged brown with dirt, an explanation for the soil on the bathroom floor yet there were no traces of blood on her clothes. None that he could see, that is.

“I'm fine,” she promised and lifted the device for him to take.

“I can stay,” he stated, not fully confident that he would be any help in his current condition, weakened as he was, but willing to try if it meant keeping the girls safe from harm in this harsh reality. Vala already knew how it could be, Sam likely did not.

“No,” she touched his face gently, a friendly and comforting caress built from years of deep friendship. “I _need_ you out of here.”

_Keep her safe, T._ The words echoed in his head. A promise he'd made when she had rejoined SG1. Those three simple words, tossed at him nonchalantly. He knew though, at the time and better than most, that the underlying emotions meant the man was bleeding anxiety. Too well hidden behind his General's mask was to admit that knowing she would be walking through the gate while he was far away in Washington was killing him in ways only a lover could know. So Teal'c had promised to keep her safe, as best he could, which seemed to be enough for his former commander.

“I made a promise,” he whispered, looking down at the box nestled in the palm of his hand.

“I know,” she replied and she did. She'd been there when the General had made his subtle plea, “But so did I,” she continued, “You can't stay, Teal'c. We can handle ourselves.”

“Yeah!” Vala added, “We're tougher than we look, us girls.” To emphasize her point, she shoulder bumped Sam and beamed confidently.

“Of that, I have no doubt.”

They each gave long, tight hugs; a reassuring goodbye. Sam whispered that she would be okay whilst Vala requested that he make sure she still looked fabulous out in the real world. He had no doubt that she would but bowed in promise regardless. Sam instructed him to press the button on the device and as he poised his thumb over top he gave each of his friends one final glance. Vala smiled brightly, as always. Her whitened teeth were an effective distraction from the bruises still glaringly visible upon her face. At least one made by his own hand. His stomach flopped.

Sam stood with a look of desperate determination that reminded him of the first time he had ever seen her. She had grown as a valiant warrior since that day and it was because of that knowledge that he knew she would succeed. Both women had a lot to lose but the strength to carry on regardless. It was because of that knowledge that he let his thumb fall to the button.

And the world fell to black.

**…**

Sam could do nothing but blink as Teal'c vanished in a pixelated wave in front of her. The device in his hand fell to the floor with a thud. _One down!_ She thought with a relieved sigh.

“That's certainly a first!” Vala remarked as she came to stand where Teal'c had been only seconds ago and retrieved the box, careful to not place her fingers on the button.

“Yeah,” Sam agreed as she moved to pick up the gun Teal'c had unwittingly dropped earlier when his memories had returned. She was beyond relieved that he remembered. Her experience with Daniel earlier had left her more than rattled. The worry had consumed her the entire drive back to the motel but with Teal'c's reaction, she found herself filled with a renewed sense of optimism.

“I take it things didn't go well with Daniel!” Vala asked. She sounded so disheartened that Sam couldn't bring herself to recount the story of what she had seen when she had found him. She was still trying to process it herself. The change in him was horrific. But if Teal'c had found his way then there was hope for Daniel...and Jack. The very thought of him made her heart ache. She just wanted him out of this nightmare.

“You could say that,” Sam replied, finally. “But we'll get him. He's not exactly unknown here.”

Vala considered her for a moment, eyes darting to the bathroom before biting her lip in an effort to hold back a question she seemed desperate to ask. “What?” Sam huffed.

Vala straightened and quirked a brow, “You want to tell me about the blood?”

“It's..It's nothing. I'm fine.” Sam replied though she knew the moment she glanced at the floor that Vala would pick up on the lie.

“Samantha!” Vala chided but Sam chose to ignored her. Instead she moved to place the gun on the bed. “Any idea where Cam could be?” she asked in an attempt to change the subject. It wasn't that she didn't want Vala to know about the gunshot. She just didn't want to have to relieve the particular story of it's discovery through story time. The memory still made her shiver.

“No,” Vala replied, sullenly, “To be honest, I got lucky with Teal'c!”

“How different was he?” Sam ventured, not sure if she really wanted to know if he had done or said anything completely out of character.

“Different.” Vala confirmed, “But he came around quick.”

“Did he hurt you?” Sam asked, pointing to the varied bruises on her friend.

Vala shook her head but replied, “Not much,” before clarifying,”Most of these were there when I woke up. I just wish it didn't feel like I've been hit by a mother ship! Why does it feel so real?”

Sam had to agree with her there. “It's definitely an intricate program. Every detail is perfect. Even the additional characters seem to have their own, I don't know, life!”

“Yes, I got that impression when I...Oh!” Vala suddenly squawked, eyes wide with realization.

“What?”

A wide grin spread across her face as she triumphantly declared, “I know where Ba'al is!”

“What?” Sam asked, intrigued. “How?”

“Well, when I was in the prison,” Vala began but Sam caught on the word 'prison'.

“Wait, prison?” she sputtered.

Vala waved her off as if it meant absolutely nothing, “Yes, not important, anyway. I got to chatting with one of your old friends in the cell behind me!”

“Friends?”

“Yes, uh, Janet Fraiser actually!”

Sam gaped, “Janet's here?”

“Lovely woman. She gave me quite a lot of information about this apparent 'secret compound' where Ba'al, who’s the President here I might add, where he hides out.”

“You got that from Janet?” Vala nodded happily. “And you left her there?” Sam chided. Vala slumped and rolled her eyes, “Well it's not like she's _real_!”

Sam cursed her own stupidity. Of course it wasn't. _This place feels too real!_ “Right.”

“So, my thinking is we take him out!” Vala declared with a smirk.

“Taking out Ba'al could end the program.” Sam nodded, processing the possible outcomes of such a mission, “Or at the very least disrupt it!”

“Exactly!” Vala beamed, clearly happy that they were both in agreement, “Plus it beats sitting around waiting for Cam! He could be hours away!”

“Or minutes!” Sam countered.

“Or it won’t matter either way if we take out Ba'al.”

Sam had to agree with that. “Are you sure you know the way?” she asked after a moment’s consideration.

Vala nodded, excitedly, “Positive. I just need to find some institute place and I can guide us from there.”

Sam smirked knowingly.  “Well it's a good thing I know exactly where that is.”

Both women shared triumphant grins. “Let's go!” they both said in unison and were up, guns ready, and out the door without a seconds hesitation.

The only thought Sam had as they began their drive was a hope that they succeeded and it meant the end of the entire program. She couldn't wait to see Jack’s face again.

**...**

Ba'al smiled as he finally found them on his readout. He knew they were in there, Teal'c's disappearance had alerted him to that, but he just hadn't been able to find them until now. And what he read made him smirk. _How interesting,_ he thought. He certainly hadn't expected them to decide to come after him so soon. Nevertheless, he knew how to have fun with it. Their little plan would fit right in with his narrative and he would inevitably win. Regardless of their knowledge of the real world. Regardless of their determination. He would win. In fact, really, he'd already won.

And now he was going to have some fun.

**...**

“Yes, Sir. Understood.”

Jack ended the call with a frown. Another attack. The Resistance were getting bolder by the day. This time they were going after the President directly and once again he and his team were called upon to take care of the problem.

Jack wasn't sure at first why, if the President knew of such a plan, he would want to remain at the compound. As it turned out, the chance to make a public statement outweighed the need to protect one’s own life. Jack could understand that. The Resistance were an infestation that needed to be eradicated so taking every known opportunity to take them out was okay by him. God knew they deserved it after everything they had taken from him.

He tried not to let his memories dwell on the faces of his family. They had been so happy. _He_ had been so happy. So full of love. But the Resistance took that away from him and replaced that joy with darkness. He felt it eat away at his soul everyday. Every night he relived what could have been and what was and it rotted him from the inside out. He should have been able to stop it. Should have been able to save them. But he didn't and now they were dead.

The only thing worse than his grief was the fact that revenge had not been the bittersweet reprieve he had hoped for. Somehow even that haunted him. Any other man, he often thought, would take that as a sign to stop. Get on with their life and rebuild. Not him. No, it fueled him. He channeled that desperate chase for the salvation of his soul by throwing his entire being into removing every single Resistance member from the population one by one. If killing the one responsible for the attack that took his family hadn't saved him, then surely removing all the others from existence would.

To do that he relied on the intelligence passed onto him from the President himself. For that he was grateful. The President knew of the pain, was clearly using it to his advantage, but that had never stopped Jack from asking how high each time he was instructed to jump. In Jack’s opinion, they were helping each other out with a shared desire to rid the world of terrorists.

Walking outside, he found Cam and Charlie tossing back beers in silence. It was the first time since their last job that he had seen Cam act normal. There was something definitely off about the kid lately. Charlie had told him of their late night tete a tete. He had passed on his concerns for Cam's apparent sympathy for their latest hit. In Charlie's opinion, the kid was having a dilemma of conscience. A moral war within himself where he began to question all that he was doing...and that spelled trouble for their entire operation. If he began turning on their cause, what would stop him from seeking out the very group they were trying to take down? What would stop him turning on them? For the moment, Jack would give him the benefit of the doubt...but he'd be watching him closely during this next mission that was for sure.

“Alright, campers. We've got another one,” he announced, tossing the keys to the hummer over to Charlie.

“How many this time?” the man asked as he caught them with one hand.

“Two. Female. Both apparently on their way to attack the President’s compound right now. So grab your crap and move out. If we leave now we should be able to reach it in time. The president wants a spectacle for the media. Let’s give em one!”

Charlie gave a curt nod, threw his glass bottle into a nearby shrub, and moved swiftly back into the barn to grab their gear. Cam, on the other hand, was looking decidedly concerned. His brow furrowed as he twirled his bottle between his fingers. “You got a problem with that order, Mitchell?” Jack growled, stalking towards the younger man with, what he hoped conveyed, an air of danger if the answer was 'yes'.

Cam glanced at the barn door, eyes clearly seeking out whether they had an audience. Once satisfied, he stepped forward, meeting Jack head on. “We’re gonna _kill_ two people?”

“Terrorists,” Jack argued.

“Women!”

“And?”

“And you don't feel, even deep down, that that's _wrong_?”

Jack snarled, “No. And neither should you if you're really part of this team!”

“Sorry, Sir.” Cam shook his head, “But I don't believe that! Not for a second.” he continued, passionately.

“Mitchell...” Jack warned but the idiot was clearly intent on continuing.

“I don't care how sophisticated this damn place is, or how much Ba'al screwed with your memories. I refuse to believe that nothing of the real you is in there,” he pointed to Jack’s head emphatically, “You just have to _remember_ ,” he hissed.

“What the hell are you talking about?” Jack shouted. The man wasn't just having a moral break...he was clearly in the middle of a mental one as well.

“Come on, Sir!” Cam pleaded, “Daniel Jackson? Remember him? 'Bout my height, wears glasses. Archaeologist...nerd? Your closest friend!”

Jack could only stare as the mad man ranted nonsense. Sure, he knew Daniel Jackson. Everyone did. They'd never been friends though.

“No? Okay, what about Teal'c?” Cam asked, almost accusingly. “Big guy. Jaffa. Wears a gold emblem on his forehead because he used to be the First Prime to Apophis. But he rebelled and joined SG1. Ring a bell?”

“Mitchell!” Jack barked, “I suggest you shut the hell up and get your ass in that truck before I shoot you!” Cam huffed in frustration but Jack was already turning away from him to care. He'd heard enough and there was no way he was risking his or Charlie’s life with someone so unhinged.

“What about Sam Carter?” Cam whispered and Jack stopped dead in his tracks. That name. How did he know that name? “Samantha Carter. Brilliant, blonde haired, blue eyed fighting machine. Smartest woman in the galaxy. You can't tell me you don't remember her. You lo...”

Jack cut him off with a hand around the throat in a move that surprised even him for its speed. With quick strides, he had Cam pressed against the nearest wall by the neck as he seethed his anger. “Shut. The fuck. Up!” Jack swore and tightened his grip, ignoring Cam's gasps for air. With his free hand, he unholstered his pistol and brought it up to Cam’s head. His whole body shook with rage, an anger he hadn't felt in a long time, as he pressed the barrel to his former friends forehead. It would be so easy to shoot him here. So easy to pull the trigger and be done with the traitor. But then he would have to clean the mess and he really hated having to do that.

Cam's eyes pleaded with his as he squeezed his throat tighter whilst pushing the gun harder. Both acts would leave a mark. “Get in the truck!” he seethed, teeth bare and eyes glaring. When he finally let go he turned to storm inside the barn without a care for the coughing and spluttering man left outside.

He found Charlie in the main room checking over his rifle. “We've got a problem!” was all he said.

Charlie gave a disappointed nod. “When?” was all he asked.

“When we get to the compound. Take him out then. It'll look like he was just another terrorist that lost!” Charlie agreed and left to make sure the soon to be dead man outside was still, in fact, outside.

Jack stood in the middle of the room breathing deep in an attempt to compose himself. Cam had rattled him in a way that hadn't been done in a long time. The truth was, Jack knew Samantha Carter. Knew her very well. But she wasn't brilliant. She was a murderer and she was a ghost. She was his constant torment. Those sickeningly beautiful blue eyes haunted him every night and he had no idea how to stop it. The fact that Cam knew her could only mean one thing: he had been Resistance all along. And because of that, his fate was now sealed.

Just like her, he would end up rotting in the dirt. Exactly where he belonged.


End file.
